


Barrel of Monkeys

by AmberGalaxy, SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Collab, Drama, M/M, MakoHaru is a background ship, post-DTF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-09-05 02:15:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16801696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberGalaxy/pseuds/AmberGalaxy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: Ikuya and Asahi have been arguing a lot more than usual, with the source of their tension being obvious, but not easy to deal with. So Kisumi sets out to help them, wanting to keep the peace amongst their group of friends. Throw Hiyori into the mix and what could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> An on-going multichapter collab fic between AmberGalaxy and SamCyberCat, with the prompt of "Stop having loud arguments outside my door" using Asahi/Ikuya and Kisumi.
> 
> Each of us will be writing one chapter, before passing the fic onto the other to write the next chapter, so the end results will be as much a surprise to us as they are to you. This first chapter is written by AmberGalaxy, setting up our hapless Kisumi on his quest. We were inspired to work on a collab like this by the amazing Maybeillride and JemTheKingOfSass, with their recently completed (and absolutely fantastic!) SouHaru fic, Hello Neighbour.

Kisumi supposed that he was lucky to have a room all to himself at university. It came with the perks of Uncle Katsumi being in charge of letting some of the student flats here. It was a pretty nice room too, almost like a studio apartment. Hayato came to stay with him once and he’d loved it, like a little astute student himself. Kisumi hoped that when Hayato gets to his age, he’ll be able to have this privilege too. Hayato did like his quiet time.

But Kisumi didn’t. He liked to constantly be around people, to constantly chatter and bask in the warmth of company. Being alone was so incredibly boring! Kisumi’s room must have been the tidiest in the entire dorm, because he was barely in it. Being in his room for lengthy amounts of time meant being alone for lengthy amounts of time. Of course sometimes, Kisumi wasn’t always alone in his room, but the men he brought home after a night out never stayed long. They didn’t really measure up to the men he spent time with anyway. What Kisumi would give, to date someone like Sousuke, or Haru or… Makoto Tachibana with his bulging muscles and soft green eyes…

“You’re so dense! I’m so _sick to death_ of your attitude!”

“Dense?! What, so you’re saying that I’m stupid for looking out for you?”

“What I- I never said that! Stop putting words in my mouth!”

Kisumi perked up, because the unmistakable voices of Asahi and Ikuya were snapping viciously at each other outside of his door. Saying they sounded upset was an understatement, both of them sounded immensely frustrated with each other. Kisumi crouched by the door, knowing full well that it was bad to eavesdrop, but he didn’t really have much choice with how loud both of them were being.

Kisumi couldn’t say he was surprised to hear them going at it, they’d been an underlying tension between them for a while and everyone had noticed, especially Haru. It felt like they’d come so far with Ikuya, but now there was a rift in their group again. As he bristled and griped with Asahi, Haru was always off to the side, looking immensely uncomfortable, while Makoto tried his best to lighten the mood.

Makoto had called Kisumi later, delicately asking him if he knew if anything was going on with them and how Makoto could help. Kisumi had opened his mouth to tell Makoto exactly what he thought was wrong, but then he stopped. It was always on Makoto to solve all of their problems, and right now both him and Haru were working so hard to achieve their goals. It was the same for Asahi and Ikuya, things shouldn’t be like this. They needed a clear mind to reach their global stage, or whatever the highest honour was for swimming (Kisumi still didn’t follow too well). So perhaps it was Kisumi’s turn to try and keep the peace. He told Makoto not to worry, and that he’d see to it himself.

…But now that Asahi and Ikuya were literally at each other’s throats at the door, Kisumi wasn’t entirely sure how to approach the situation. Maybe he could find Asahi in his own room afterwards, only then Asahi would probably just deny everything. Finding Ikuya would be out of the question, he’d storm off back to his own university in a mood and he wouldn’t answer the phone for the rest of the week.  
Kisumi had no choice, he had to interrupt this. He got to his feet with a sigh and relished in the small victory that at least he wouldn’t be bored any more. He put his hand on the doorknob.

“You just don’t listen to me, you’ve never listened to me, not since middle school. You seriously just up and left and… a-and.”

“Ikuya, we can’t get into this again. I thought this was sorted, I thought this was-“

_“Hiiii!~”_

Kisumi stepped into the corridor like a showman flourishing on a stage, smiling cheekily at Asahi and Ikuya, who were now both frozen mid shout. Were they both so involved in their argument that they hadn't even realised who’s room they’d stumbled across?

Ikuya recovered first. Or at least, he almost did. He flushed bright red, ducking his head down to hide his eyes under his long bangs. Asahi followed, tutting as he placed his hands on his hips. Kisumi wasn’t fazed, still smiling away.

“So are you boys going to tell me what’s wrong so we can figure this out?”

Neither Asahi nor Ikuya looked like they wanted to tell Kisumi anything, both still looking stubbornly away from him. It seemed like Kisumi would have to fight dirty. He brandished his phone.

“I could call Makoto…”

Asahi’s brow furrowed.

“Or I could call Haru…”

Ikuya finally snapped. “Please! You… you don’t have to do that. I… I’ve caused them enough worry.”

Asahi looked sheepish too. “Yeah. It’s really nothing, you don’t have to bother them with our bickering.”

Kisumi puffed his cheeks out a little, miffed that neither of them would tell him anything. On one hand, they didn’t really need to tell Kisumi anything, because Kisumi had a good idea of why there was so much tension between them. Perhaps their paths had split drastically before meeting back up again here in Tokyo, but it was plain to everyone that Ikuya and Asahi only had eyes for each other. Since all the way back in middle school.

But Asahi and Ikuya (especially poor Ikuya) had all these issues. Insecurities that got in the way of their feelings. Sometimes it felt like one big misunderstanding after another, it was so frustrating to watch. And if it was this bad to just spectate, Kisumi could only imagine what it must be like to actually experience it.  
“I know they’ve been worried about us, but…” Asahi struggled, going as red as his hair. He was looking in the exact opposite direction to Ikuya now, but their expressions were identical. Kisumi felt like he was pushing an extremely heavy boulder up Mount Fuji. He sighed slightly in exasperation, looking between the two of them. He had to choose his words carefully now.

“You both… _care_ about each other so much, so why are you fighting all the time?”

Ikuya tensed up at that, “W-we aren’t!”

“Oh, but you have. Makoto can tell, Haru can tell… And I bet this isn’t the first shouting match you’ve had either. What’s brought this on? You were both getting on so well?”

Ikuya looked away again, scowling through his blush. “Ask _him.”_

Kisumi turned to Asahi pointedly. Kisumi had become pretty close with Asahi over the last few months, he’d like to think that they were good friends at this point. He looked at him pleadingly, hoping that Asahi would be straightforward. He finally cracked, but he didn’t say what Kisumi thought he would say.

“It’s that… that Hiyori! Everyone’s just… let him in to our group like nothing happened…! He was a total ass!”

Ikuya finally turned back, his glare more intense than ever. “Hiyori was just being protective!”

“Oh yeah? Has he apologised to Haru probably for what he said? What was it again? _“Everyone you swim with suffers?”_ Wow, that’s only the worst possible thing you could say to Haru.”

“Haru knows he didn’t mean that. Hiyori didn’t mean that either. The only person with a problem with him now is you!”

And then they were off again, like Kisumi wasn’t even there. He took the time to muse to himself, glancing away thoughtfully. So Hiyori had set this off, had he? Kisumi wouldn’t have been surprised at this a few weeks ago, but Hiyori did seem genuinely sorry at what had occurred with Haru and the others. Asahi seemed a little apprehensive, but nothing more had come of it. Kisumi had even played basketball with him, and Hiyori had shown himself to be a genuinely funny and nice guy. Like an actual nice guy, not the fake façade he sometimes put on.

But Asahi had a point too. What Hiyori had done was bad, and Haru had suffered because of it. Kisumi didn’t blame him for being cautious. But then again, he didn’t seem bothered when Hiyori talked to anyone other than Ikuya-

Ah. _Ah._ It really was so simple. Asahi was jealous. Oh dear. Kisumi hardly ever got jealous, it was an emotion that didn’t come naturally to him, but he’d certainly been around jealous people before. Jealousy could be nipped in the bud easily. All they needed to do was talk-

“I’m not going to stand here and listen to you berate Hiyori like this! Whether you like it or not, I’m not going to stop hanging around him. You’re accusing him of being possessive, but you know what? You’re being even worse than he was right now!”

Asahi looked like Ikuya had slapped him, and for a moment, Kisumi swore he saw a tear in his eye, but he turned away too quickly.

“I’m nothing like that guy, but if you want to waltz back to him, go ahead. Y-you can both have a good gossip about how awful I am!”

Asahi was off, leaving Kisumi feeling stunned. Oh no…! It’s okay, Ikuya was still here, Kisumi could still-

“Maybe I will! I-I hate you Asahi Shiina!”

There was no doubt that those were tears in Ikuya’s eyes, due to the fact that most of them had already run down his cheeks. He stormed off in the opposite direction, and Kisumi was alone again, wondering how that all went wrong so fast.

…There was clearly a method to this, Makoto really did have that magic touch. One that Kisumi lacked, but he wasn’t going to give in and pass on the torch. Kisumi was going to sort this out all by himself.

The question was how, since having Ikuya and Asahi in the same room was like lighting a candle next to a box of fireworks. Kisumi couldn’t be all airy-fairy and silly like he usually was, it was time to get serious. For Ikuya and Asahi’s sake. When it came down to it, none of them wanted to see them fighting and suffering like this. Any amount of drama between them wasn’t worth it.

…Makoto would be so proud of him! With that encouraging thought in mind, Kisumi hummed and stepped back in his empty room. It was time to work out a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kisumi's first course of action is to meet with Hiyori and explain the situation to him. But that conversation quickly spirals out of control as Kisumi learns that he's completely outmatched by Hiyori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by SamCyberCat. (And if you can't tell, I love me some Hiyori.)

It wasn't a pretty sight, at least not if you asked Kisumi. He stood in front of his bathroom mirror and pulled down one of the black bags beneath his eyes, grimacing as he did so. This was a clear sign that he hadn't gotten much sleep last night, which was entirely due to worrying about the situation with Ikuya and Asahi. His sleepy eyes were nothing that a little make-up wouldn't fix, but the situation with his friends was much trickier to deal with.

No matter how Kisumi mulled it over, the source of their problem was Hiyori. Which seemed unfair, since it wasn't as if Hiyori had asked for any of this. It was all just a misunderstanding. Perhaps if that was cleared up, then both Asahi and Ikuya would feel better and make up with each other.

So the most obvious solution Kisumi could think of was to talk to Hiyori. Hopefully that wouldn't be too awkward. “I think my friend is jealous of you because you're practically attached to the guy he likes”was hardly the most ideal conversation-starter and Kisumi didn't know Hiyori that well to launch into something like that. But Kisumi and Hiyori did at least know each other well enough to talk. They'd played basketball together and Hiyori seemed to enjoy it, so Kisumi didn't worry too much about Hiyori turning him down when he'd text him asking to meet up. Besides, he was Kisumi – hanging out with people was his thing.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Kisumi checked his phone to find a reply from Hiyori, who'd agreed to meet with Kisumi later that day, although he'd objected to Kisumi's choice of cafe and instead suggested an alternate. Wow, someone's fussy. Not that Kisumi minded. If Hiyori had high standards, then that meant the cafe he'd chosen was probably the better one. Kisumi sent a quick reply to confirm that he'd meet him there and then headed out.

It was an overcast day, which was a blessing in disguise, because it meant the streets were quiet, at least by Tokyo standards. The cafe that Hiyori suggested was near to a shrine and people were generally respectful, which meant they were free from some of the larger crowds. By the time Kisumi got there, Hiyori was already waiting. Kisumi was on time, but he assumed that Hiyori was the type of person who showed up early to all his appointments – he liked to be waiting for you.

“No entourage today?” Hiyori asked, as Kisumi joined him.

“Just me, I'm afraid,” Kisumi replied, “Hope that won't be a bother. Is Ikuya not with you?”

Admittedly Kisumi hadn't expected Ikuya to come after yesterday, but asking about him was a good place to start to get their talk on the right track. Besides, it was rare to see Hiyori without Ikuya.

“No, I'm afraid he's holed up in his dorm and won't come out. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about that,” said Hiyori. His expression was as pleasant as ever, but there was a certain sharpness to his voice that implied he wanted answers as much as Kisumi did.

“I'd be lying if I said I didn't,” Kisumi admitted, “But why don't with go in and sit down first?”

“Yes. It seems we have a lot to discuss,” said Hiyori.

The two of them were mostly silent as they made their orders in the cafe, which wasn't how Kisumi did things. He was used to being loud and bubbly, silence wasn't his forte. But this situation required more tact and he knew that, so he played it safe. Hiyori was clearly a regular here, the cashier was familiar with him. Yet she gave Kisumi a quizzical look, probably wondering why he wasn't Ikuya. All the same, she took their orders and that was that.

They both took their seats at a quiet corner of the cafe, which Kisumi would guess was Hiyori's usual spot. Hiyori had a rich coffee steaming in front of him, whereas Kisumi had gone for a lavish strawberry milkshake. It was perhaps too early for such a drink, but it was pink and Kisumi had an aesthetic to maintain. He sipped politely through the sparkly straw, waiting for Hiyori to speak first.

Several moments passed and nothing came, so Kisumi gave in and took the initiative. When he spoke, Hiyori's eyes twinkled – clearly Kisumi has lost their unspoken first round by giving in to talking before Hiyori did. But Kisumi wanted to help his friends, not compete with Hiyori, so he told himself that he didn't care.

“Right, so... about yesterday,” Kisumi said, “Asahi and Ikuya had a bit of an argument. Things got heated, I think they both said things that they didn't mean, but now they've fallen out and I know they're both too stubborn to apologise so soon.”

“Asahi...” Hiyori drawled out the name with a sigh, “I should've suspected as such. That guy brings out... a very unique side to Ikuya.”

“They've always been like that, ever since middle school. They'd bicker all the time, but when it came down to it, they always had each other's backs,” Kisumi said, recalling those days fondly for a moment, before getting back to the matter at hand, “The thing is, I adore Asahi, but he's as dense as they come when feelings get involved. He likes Ikuya so much, he just... doesn't know how to deal with it.”

“If he likes him that much, then why is Ikuya crying into his pillow because of him?” Hiyori asked.

It was a dangerous question. There was no way that Kisumi could be careful about his answer to that one.

“Well, that might be because of... you,” Kisumi confessed. He carried on before Hiyori had a chance to object; “Not that I'm blaming you at all – I just want everyone to be friends here – but I feel like Asahi's jealous of how close you are with Ikuya.”

“And?” Hiyori pressed, taking a sip from his coffee and looking almost indifferent.

Oh dear. That wasn't the response Kisumi was expecting. He hesitated for a moment, but he couldn't back down at the first hurdle. So once he'd gathered his thoughts together, he carried on.

“It's just a big misunderstanding, we both know that. I can tell you're a good guy and I'm glad you've been watching out for Ikuya all these years. But you have to agree that things were a bit, uh, tense for a while. Asahi feels that you didn't make enough of an effort to apologise to Haru and the others after what happened,” he said, “So I'm sure that if you just made a clean apolo-”

Hiyori held up his hand; “I'm going to stop you right there. Not because I have a problem with apologising to your friends. If that's what they need, then I'll do that. But honestly, I doubt it'd make that much difference to Haru or Makoto. They seem to have accepted that if they want Ikuya back in their middle school reunion gatherings, then they have to take me with a pinch of salt. Asahi is the one with the problem. And if he's as jealous as you say, then I doubt that my apologising this late in the game would make any difference to him. He's most likely accuse me of being insincere. After that, he'd keep coming up with excuses to take issue with me.”

“No, Asahi's not like that,” Kisumi reasoned. He'd never been silenced by a hand before, but he wasn't going to let Hiyori rile him; “All Asahi needs is to be clearly assured there's no reason for him to worry. Then he'll cool off about you and hopefully that'll solve the tension in our group.”

To Kisumi, that seemed like a simple solution. He wasn't asking a lot of Hiyori. Sure, it was kind of an awkward position to be in, but surely at this point Hiyori could see that Ikuya was better off with all of them being his friends, not being cut off like he was before. For Ikuya's sake, surely Hiyori would bite the bullet and tell Asahi he had nothing to worry about.

As Kisumi watched, Hiyori leaned back in his seat, then he steepled his fingers together and regarded Kisumi in an almost business-like manner.

“...What if Asahi _does_ have something to worry about?” Hiyori asked.

“I don't get what you mean...” Kisumi muttered. He didn't like where this was going.

“Don't play dumb with me – I know you're on the ball about this stuff, a lot more than the others are,” said Hiyori, “If I'm reading your words correctly, what you want me to do is give Asahi a pat on the back and promise him there's nothing going on between Ikuya and myself. Then he'll have my blessings to chase Ikuya to his heart's content, while I stand back and watch.”

“Well, I...”

When Hiyori put it that way, it didn't sound very good.

“But what if I told you that I do like Ikuya myself? In the same way that Asahi does. You wouldn't be surprised, I can imagine, but surely you'll understand why that makes me less than inclined to just step aside and let someone else make their move simply to keep the peace amongst your friends,” Hiyori went on, “The way I see it, Ikuya's choice of romantic partner should be entirely his own – not mine, nor Asahi's and certainly not yours. If you and Asahi can't respect that, well, then you're not the friends of Ikuya that you claim to be.”

“Don't put words in my mouth! I'd never try to control Ikuya like that...!” Kisumi snapped.

Heads turned towards them from the few patrons in the quiet cafe. They were getting a stern look from the cashier. Kisumi withdrew back into his seat and tried not to meet anyone's eyes. He didn't usually shout like that... Hiyori had drawn it out of him, all while remaining cool, calm and collected himself.

“Well then, maybe you should think about how you're going about this,” said Hiyori, as if Kisumi's outburst hadn't happened. He finished his coffee and got to his feet; “You seem like someone with good intentions. I would hate to sour our budding friendship, but Ikuya will always come first to me. If you keep making such blatant attempts to push your own agenda, then I'd hate for that friendship to end abruptly. I'm sure something like that would only worsen this rift in your little group.”

“Please... if we just talk about this a little more...” Kisumi asked.

“We have nothing more to discuss here today,” dismissed Hiyori, “You can tell Asahi that whenever he's ready to apologise to Ikuya, I'll be ready to treat him like a mature adult. But not until he starts acting like one.”

With that, Hiyori swept from the cafe, the little bell above the door chiming behind him as he left. Kisumi didn't put up a fight to keep him from going – the last few minutes had shown Kisumi that he was woefully underprepared to deal with Hiyori. Instead, he slumped forward on the table and buried his head in his arms. Now he felt even less like drinking that fancy milkshake. In fact, he didn't want to stay in this cafe much longer, not after everyone had heard him snap like that.

So Asahi and Hiyori both liked Ikuya. It was a love triangle. If this had been one of his beloved TV dramas, then Kisumi would be eating that up. But this was real life and it was affecting his friends. So what Kisumi actually felt was worried for them all and nervous about what that would mean for their group.

If things kept on as they were, then Asahi would remain a ball of explosive tension and Hiyori would keep lighting matches to try and set that off. Yet Hiyori was right that Kisumi shouldn't meddle in people's feelings like that. Only Ikuya could choose if he wanted to be with Asahi or Hiyori, assuming he wanted to be with either of them. And dealing with his emotions was hardly Ikuya's strongest subject.

_Argh..._

Kisumi had come out here today for what was supposed to be a simple chat that would clear the air and prove there was nothing for anyone to worry about. But instead what happened was that Kisumi got Hiyori's back up and Hiyori had assured him there was in fact a lot to worry about.

If Makoto had been here, then Kisumi knew he'd probably have handled this all so much better. But romance was supposed to be Kisumi's area of expertise – he should be able to help people talk through their feelings. How had it all gone so wrong?

He pulled himself up from the table, leaving more than half of his milkshake and heading out the door. He felt bad about the waste, but he just couldn't stay there any longer. The dull sky had let loose a drizzle of fine rain and that only worsened Kisumi's disheartened mood. He pulled his jacket close to himself and headed off back home, not even stopping at the shrine in his hurry.

Kisumi needed more than just good luck right now. Heck, he didn't know what he needed, but he hoped that he'd find out before Ikuya and Asahi's friendship was ruined for good.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kisumi leaves to lick his wounds after his unsuccessful talk with Hiyori. A call from his brother threatens to add another complication to the mix, as Kisumi struggles to figure out just how he can make everyone happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by AmberGalaxy (and features an adorable cameo by Hayato).

Kisumi sighed as he watched the kettle boil for dinner, wishing he was at the Marron café instead. He’d not been since Asahi and Ikuya’s spat, and he was missing it greatly. Kisumi supposed there was technically no reason for him to stay away, but he wasn’t sure how to face Asahi after being verbally annihilated by Hiyori. Akane would lend a kind ear of course, but Kisumi’s not really sure what she could do about the situation. He honestly wasn’t sure what _anyone_ could do about the situation. Hiyori had been calculating and cold when expressing his desires, but the worst thing about it was that he’d been reasonable too. Hiyori wasn’t in the wrong and he’d left absolutely no room for arguments.

And Kisumi couldn’t play dumb when it came to Hiyori’s feelings either, Hiyori was right to call him out on that. Kisumi may have known Asahi and Ikuya back in middle school, but Hiyori had been with Ikuya for even longer than that. It wasn’t really fair on Ikuya to feel the pressure from not one, but two guys.

…Wah. Why didn’t Kisumi have two guys fighting over him? It wasn’t fair. Then again, perhaps that wouldn’t be a good thing. If Kisumi knew himself well enough, he knew he probably wouldn’t be able to choose between them. He’d have a great time though, while the prospect would probably cause Ikuya a lot of stress.

And that was the crux of the issue. How did Ikuya feel? Kisumi knew he had feelings for Asahi, but did he have feelings for Hiyori too? With how intense they both were with each other, it was possible. It was a classic love triangle, and despite consuming so much fiction featuring the trope, Kisumi had no idea of how to deal with it in real life.

Kisumi looked at his phone on the side longingly. He could still call Makoto…

No. Makoto solved all their problems, Kisumi was still determined to try and figure this out by himself. Or at least, without involving Makoto or Haru. Both Asahi and Ikuya had expressed that too.

Instead, Kisumi tried to figure out what Makoto would do. He was such a people pleaser, and the goal would be to make sure everyone was happy by the end, which was what Kisumi wanted to. He thought about it as rationally as he could, laying out his options.

He could talk to Asahi and relay what Hiyori had said. Which would probably result in Asahi freaking out and getting upset, thus making things worse.

He could try Hiyori again. Nope. That wouldn’t work. Kisumi shuddered at the prospect of another verbal beatdown, served with a smile.

He could tell Ikuya that two men were in love with him, but as Kisumi had already considered, this would probably put pressure on Ikuya and stress him out greatly. He was such a sensitive soul.

So with the three most obvious options out of the way, what could Kisumi do?

The kettle clicked as it came to a boil, and Kisumi sighed as he poured the water out on his instant noodles. He really needed to stop living on these, but he wasn’t the best cook. It’d be so nice to have a man around the apartment to cook for him… He’d even take Makoto’s burnt offerings if it meant spending the evening with him. It must be stressful to be caught in the middle of a love triangle, but at least Ikuya, Asahi and Hiyori had a love life to be stressed about.

Kisumi slurped down his noodles and went to bed, he’d give the situation more thought with a clear head in the morning.

***

But when Kisumi woke up the next day, he was still stumped. The whole thing was becoming a worrisome pain in the back of his mind. Was there really a black and white solution to all of this? A solution that kept their friend group solid and happy? Kisumi was starting to think that might not be the case. He gulped down his morning coffee, styled his pink hair meticulously, and headed off to class. Though he couldn’t concentrate on a single thing throughout his lecture, and for once, it wasn’t just because the professor was hot.

Kisumi’s phone went off when he was on the way to the cafeteria, a photo of himself and Hayato on holiday displayed on the caller ID. He answered without hesitation, since even messy love triangles didn’t take president over his little brother.

“Hiii, Hayato!”

Hayato nervously giggled on the other end of the phone, clearly marred with a bit of phone anxiety. Whatever he wanted must have been important.

“Hi, Kisumi. Are you learning a lot at college?

Well, no actually. Kisumi wasn’t right now, but he had a set a good example.

“Sure am! Though I bet you’re still lots smarter than I am, Hayato. Is everything okay?”

There was a rustling noise where Kisumi suspected that Hayato was nodding. “Mhm. I miss you though. Are you going to come back soon?”

Kisumi felt a pang of sadness and fondness. He missed his brother terribly, being away and unable to look after him all the time, but he also knew that Hayato had grown a lot in the last few months or so. He would be fine. Still, Kisumi couldn’t help but worry.

“I’ll come back the weekend after next-” Kisumi paused as he heard Hayato whine on the other end of the phone, “Oi! Don’t pout! I have a test that Friday, so I have to study, but then I’ll be back.”

“Uhuh.” Hayato still sounded miffed, but he accepted this. He’d always been a very clever and studious boy, so it was clear he understood. Though Kisumi couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt after his disastrous lecture and the general lack of studying he’d been doing lately.

“So the reason I called...” Hayato continued. “Was because I wanted to know if could come and watch Coach Tachibana’s friends at the qualifications for the world open in a few months…”

So that was why! Kisumi chuckled and shook his head, but he was relieved to hear that nothing was wrong. “Aren’t they showing that on television?”

“Well yeah, but aren’t you and Coach Tachibana going to watch it in person? Can’t you get a seat for me? I wanna see it live, not just on television, it’s not the same.”

Kisumi knew the seats at the event would already be sparse, but Hayato sounded so hopeful… “I’ll try, okay?”

“Yay! Thank you, Kisumi! Can I sit next to Coach Tachibana?”

“I’m sure he’d love that, but that’s only if I get the tickets.”

“Okay!” Hayato sounded so bright and happy, and Kisumi couldn’t help but groan inwardly. He’d have a seriously disappointed little brother on his hand if he couldn’t get hold of these tickets. Still, Kisumi had said he’d try, so that’s exactly what he’d do.

“Well, that’s it then, bye-bye Kisumi!”

“Bye, Hayato!” Kisumi hung up, mentally adding the next task to the steadily growing list in his head. How would he even go about getting the tickets? Makoto was the one who got hold of them, and he got them from Haru, and asking Haru would probably be completely hopeless. Feeling like a deflated balloon, Kisumi pocketed his phone.

“Was that your little brother?”

Kisumi spun around to see Asahi standing there, looking like he hadn’t slept for days. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his skin was a little spotty. Kisumi must have looked the same, because Asahi commented on it tactlessly.

“You look tired.”

Ugh! Kisumi knew he should have worn make-up today! But he’d been late for class as it was. He pouted instead, but didn’t make too much of a fuss.

“Yes, that was Hayato. And you look very tired too.”

Asahi rubbed the back of his head, glancing away guiltily. “Sorry. I keep saying the wrong things at the moment.”

Poor Asahi looked so downtrodden that Kisumi softened, approaching him with a smile.

“Hey, lets get some lunch together! Also… speaking of my brother, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could get an extra ticket for the stands, would you?”

Asahi bit his lip, looking unsure. “Man, I don’t know. The place is jam-packed.”

Kisumi sighed, but shrugged. “It’s fine, just thought I’d ask. I guess I’ll have to break the news to Hayato and break his heart in turn.”

Asahi pouted, nudging Kisumi’s shoulder. “Ugh! You know I’d get one for him if I could! I’m a small fry now though. If you don’t make the times, you don’t make the rules.”

As they sat down in a quiet corner of the cafeteria, Asahi seemed like he was finally ready to open up. Kisumi forced himself to be quiet and listen, because right now, it was all he could do.

“Sorry I’ve been avoiding you.” Asahi said. “My head’s been all over the place.”

Kisumi opened his mouth to dismiss the apology, but then he decided that he was glad for it, and instead let Asahi go on.

“I know you’ve been worried about Ikuya and I... I just… damn. He just… makes me… feel all these feelings.”

Poor Asahi had it so bad for Ikuya, and in any other situation, Kisumi would just knock their heads together and let them walk off into the sunset. But it wasn’t like that, they couldn’t just ignore Hiyori. As much as Kisumi didn’t want to cause Asahi more grief, there was no point in avoiding that factor.

“Asahi…” Kisumi sighed, looking down at the table. “I spoke to Hiyori, and he likes Ikuya too. This isn’t going to be settled so easily.”

Asahi stared, a flurry of emotions passing over his features. When he looked away though, his face was pained. Kisumi’s heart ached for him, and he wished more than anything that he could somehow make his feelings go away. But it wasn’t that simple, it was never that simple.

“Jeez…” Asahi mumbled with half-hearted irritation. “You shouldn’t be stickin’ your nose in like that. But… thanks for telling me I guess, I know where I stand now.”

…No, Kisumi didn’t think that was quite right. “Hang on, I never said Ikuya liked Hiyori back. We don’t know how Ikuya feels.”

Asahi grumbled, muttering under his breath. “That guy isn’t right for Ikuya…”

“Nuhuh! I hate to say it Asahi, but Hiyori was perfectly reasonable. He has no reason to step aside for you, especially since you’ve been so rude to him. I think we actually have a much larger problem to worry about.”

Asahi flung his arms in the air dramatically. “What could be worse than this?”

Kisumi grimaced. “I’ll tell you. Poor Ikuya already has so much on his mind with everything going on, and on top of his training, it’ll be putting him under a lot of stress. He’s eventually going to figure out that two of the most important people in his life have feelings for him, and he’s going to have to make a choice.”

Kisumi was saying all this now, but speaking it outloud was making himself realise how dire the situation could get. Ikuya could be so sensitive and anxious. Being made to make such a huge decision would put him under an alarming amount of pressure. Asahi was clearly figuring this out too, a look of panic spreading over his face.

“D-damnit, I didn’t think…!”

“I’m not sure Hiyori did either. Look, if you both love Ikuya-“

Asahi went bright red, suddenly looking like he was twelve years old again. “I-I don’t love Ikuya…!”

“Oh please, we’re a bit beyond that now! Anyway, if you both care about him so much, you’re going to have to figure something out. Civilly.”

Getting Asahi and Hiyori to talk, it could be a gamble that worked out for the worse. But if Hiyori knew that Ikuya’s well being could be in danger, he might be more willing to co-operate. They had to figure out something. Asahi looked grim at the thought, so Kisumi stood strong.

“I’ll go with you. I’ll make sure things don’t get ugly. Hiyori… really isn’t so bad, you know…?”

Well, last time he was quite ruthless, but the time before that he’d been nice! Kisumi hopes that niceness had been genuine anyway, with Hiyori, it was quite hard to tell. Asahi still looked hesitant, but he finally nodded.

“…Fine. Lets both go and see Hiyori.”

Kisumi gave a little clap, despite feeling a little nervous himself. But maybe they could play Hiyori’s game and give him a taste of his own medicine. If Hiyori could fight with stone cold reason, perhaps Asahi and Kisumi could too.

They agreed on a time to find Hiyori, and went their separate ways to their next classes. On the way, Kisumi’s phone buzzed with a text. It was from Makoto this time…

_Hi kisumi! Haru got hold of a spare ticket for the opens next month, I was wondering if hayato wanted to come? I remember him saying that he wanted to see them all swim when he was visiting you :) it’s here if he wants it! see you on Wednesday :) x_

__

Oh, sweet Prince Makoto! Solving Kisumi’s problems without even knowing about them! Kisumi would just have to try even harder to solve the rest of the issues in his place. Feeling uplifted by Makoto’s text, Kisumi walked a little taller, feeling slightly more confident about his second round with Hiyori, this time with Asahi on his side.

__


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While driving home from university, Kisumi somehow manages to lose Asahi, who heads out on the trail of Ikuya. And that's when Kisumi almost literally runs into his second problem of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by SamCyberCat.

There were cars in front of them, cars behind them and tall buildings on either side of the road, with pedestrians hurrying along on paths in a huge throngs. Kisumi and Asahi were driving home from Hidaka University. More accurately, Kisumi was driving, while Asahi sat in the passenger seat next to him.

Usually, the two of them would be chatting freely, but right now they were both still weighed down by their situation. Even knowing that they had a plan didn't seem to lighten the mood. Talking to Hiyori was one thing, but Kisumi still didn't know how to go about doing that. Hiyori had said he didn't want Kisumi to call him about this lightly and if he brought Asahi with him, it might seem like they were ganging up on Hiyori. But they can't exactly leave Hiyori out of this either. They should all be on the same side about the matter. The main focus _should_ be about how they can help Ikuya not to be overcome by learning that two of his closest friends were both into him. But Kisumi had a feeling that Hiyori would somehow turn this around to make them seem like the bad guys or raise some other point that Kisumi hadn't even considered.

...Gaaah! Why was nothing ever easy?

And unfortunately, Kisumi had a lot of time to dwell on it all, since the traffic was moving at a crawl. He saw Asahi shift in his seat to look out of the window.

“It's those damn tourists in the go karts again... They always hold everyone up at the crossings,” Asahi muttered.

“Ahh, they're just having fun,” Kisumi said, “Besides, this way we can spot out cute guys while we're waiting for the traffic to move.” He was determined to lighten the mood somehow.

Asahi tutted; “You never change, huh?”

“Hey, if you get rides in my car, you have to put up with me people watching and spotting out potential future husbands,” said Kisumi, “Like that one over there! He looks nice, doesn't he? And he's turning into a cat cafe, so you know he's a sensitive soul. Oooh, what about him by the fountain? I do like a man with a ponytail. And hey, that guy kind of looks like- ...Ikuya?”

“Ikuya!”

Asahi was suddenly leaning over Kisumi to get a better look. But even from behind, there was no mistaking that was him. His ears were covered by those large headphones and his hair bounced as he walked down the street, hands stuffed in his pockets and shoulders hunched.

“That's him! We've gotta go after him!” Asahi called.

In front of them, the traffic lights changed from red to green. Slowly but surely, the queue of traffic started to move.

“We can't! I'm sorry, but he's going the other way and I can't just turn the car around while the streets are this packed,” argued Kisumi, “We'll just have to let him go, Asa- ...Asahi? Wait!”

Before Kisumi could stop him, Asahi had pulled open the passenger door and stepped out onto the road. The driver behind them started beeping their horn, waiting for Asahi to clear out of the way and Kisumi to move before the lights changed again.

“I'll go after him then! See you later, Kisumi!”

The passenger door slammed and then Asahi was sprinting onto the path and down the street in the direction they'd just seen Ikuya heading. There was no way that Kisumi could follow him short of abandoning his car in the middle of Tokyo, which wasn't going to happen.

“This is bad...”

Kisumi moved off, carrying on down the road and trying to figure out what to do. He'd have to find somewhere that he could turn around and then go looking for them. But he had no idea where either of them were going.

Suddenly, this had turned into a much more stressful afternoon than Kisumi had anticipated.

***

Asahi turned his head wildly, looking at every person who he passed on the busy street. But he couldn't see Ikuya at all. They hadn't imagined it – that was definitely Ikuya they'd seen before. But where was he now? This was the post-uni rush, the worst time of day for finding anyone...!

“Where are you, Ikuya?”

He didn't want to lose him now. Sure, if Asahi didn't talk to him today then it wouldn't actually change anything, but in the moment, Asahi had felt compelled to act. Ikuya truly brought out that recklessness in Asahi, didn't he?

Asahi slowed his pace, allowing himself to accept that maybe charging blindly wasn't the best way to go about this. He should go back and call Kisumi, so he won't worry. Then they can arrange to meet up with that Hiyori an-

...Wait! There he was!

He caught sight of Ikuya again, heading into a Tower Records store. Typical Ikuya, hah! And it looked like Hiyori wasn't with him. Perhaps Asahi should leave well alone, but after their argument last time? Asahi realised that he didn't want to leave it at that.

So he pushed through the crowd, hurrying into the store, where Ikuya was waiting for the elevator. Asahi reached out to grab his shoulder.

“Ikuya! H-hey...!”

“Asahi?”

Poor Ikuya almost jumped out of his skin when Asahi grabbed him, so Asahi pulled his hand away. But when Ikuya spun around to see who it was, his shoulders visibly relaxed. For a moment, it was clear that he was glad to see Asahi, before he set his barriers up again. Ikuya lowered his headphones from his ears, scowling across at Asahi with those intense eyes of his.

“What are you doing here?” Ikuya asked.

“I... well, I saw you and I-I wanted to talk...” said Asahi. It was the truth, after all.

“What if I don't want to talk to you?” Ikuya said. But as he spoke, he stepped aside to let a couple pass him and get onto the elevator, so it was obvious that he wasn't ruling out talking to Asahi completely.

Asahi rubbed the back of his head; “Uhh... I can't make you if you really don't want to. But I think that after the other day... w-well, I just don't want to leave it at that, Ikuya. I want to say sorry to you.”

“Do you still feel that way about Hiyori?” Ikuya checked, his tone was cold.

“Do you... hate me?” Asahi checked, _his_ tone was hurt.

“I... I did say that, didn't I?” said Ikuya, looking down at the floor, “Of course I don't hate you, stupid monkey... But Hiyori... he means a lot to me now. The others are all giving him a chance and I wish you would, too.” He looked up again, staring so sadly into Asahi's eyes; “...You of all people, I want to give him a chance.”

Ack, there was no way that Asahi could say no to that face, was there? He frowned, but it was half-hearted.

“Actually, Kisumi and I were gonna go talk to him,” he admitted, “We all want what's best for you. And after Kisumi spoke to him the yesterday-”

“Kisumi spoke to him?” Ikuya echoed.

“Yeah, didn't Hiyori tell you? W-well, even if he didn't, I doubt he was trying to hide anything. It did just happen yesterday,” said Asahi.

“That's probably it... I have been avoiding Hiyori since, um, since our argument,” Ikuya said. And Asahi had a feeling that Ikuya had been avoiding everyone since then. But he didn't say anything, letting Ikuya continue to talk through this. Because it seemed like Ikuya had a lot to say; “But all the same, I don't appreciate you guys talking about me behind my back... Do you think I can't handle this?”

“It's more that we don't want to hurt you,” Asahi tried.

“So you _do_ think I can't handle this? All of you are just as bad as each other...” Ikuya sighed, “But look, I don't think the entrance to Tower Records is the best place to talk about this.”

Not least because people kept passing by and giving them weird looks, as if they truly were a couple having a spat.

“Then why don't we go somewhere that we can talk a bit better?” Asahi offered, a cautious, but genuine smile crossing his features.

“Yeah... I think I'd like that,” said Ikuya, smiling right back at him, “There's a great cafe not too far from here. It's a little out of the way, so we can probably get a table, even at this time.”

“Then it's a date! I mean, like, uh... not a date-date, but a two-friends-talking-about-stuff date,” said Asahi. An awkward laugh failed to hide his nerves.

“...It's a date.”

And just like that, Asahi felt all weird inside, not knowing exactly what kind of date this was. But he realised that he didn't mind that feeling. Not one bit.

***

It took Kisumi over an hour to find somewhere clear enough that he could turn his car around and get back to the street where he'd lost Asahi. By that time, he was sure the two of them were long gone. But the fact that Asahi hadn't even called him was worrying. Not that Kisumi could check his phone while he was driving. Perhaps he should just turn into a car park so he could stop and check-

“What the-!”

...Kisumi slammed on his breaks, narrowly avoiding the person who'd purposely stepped out in front of his car. A person who turned out to be... Hiyori?

All Kisumi could do was stare at him with his mouth open. Which gave Hiyori time to hurry around and climb into the passenger side of Kisumi's car uninvited. For the second time that day, someone in a car behind them started to blare their horn. Kisumi's eyes narrowed and he started driving again, hands shaking on the wheel from how much the sudden miss had worked him up. He looked dead ahead, not wanting to take his focus off the road now that Hiyori was with him.

“What do you think you were doing? I could've run you down,” Kisumi asked, his voice steadier than he felt.

“Ikuya wasn't at class today. He wasn't in his apartment either. Something's happened to him and I have a feeling you and your redhead friend know something about it,” said Hiyori, without even acknowledging Kisumi's question. Unlike the other day, when Hiyori had been all smiles, there was no hint of charm to his words. Hiyori was focused only on Ikuya.

“So you chased me down to find him?” demanded Kisumi, not willing to drop that issue so easily.

“Of course not. I was checking Shibuya because Ikuya often comes shopping here and I just happened to see you. It was convenient,” said Hiyori.

“Not for me it wasn't! You can't just... just jump in front of cars like that...!” Kisumi protested, “But you're here now, so yes... we did see Ikuya.”

“You did? Why didn't you say so right away?”

“Because I felt it was more important to scold you for throwing yourself at a car first. Now that's out of the way, I'll tell you about Ikuya.”

For once, Hiyori didn't make a retort. He was entirely focused on listening to what had happened with Ikuya. This guy... he truly was in love with Ikuya, wasn't he?

“Right, so we were driving around here about an hour ago and we saw Ikuya. Asahi got out the car to go after him and then... that's it. I haven't heard from Asahi since then and it's taken me until now to get back here, so they could be anywhere. Assuming that Asahi found him at all,” said Kisumi.

Next to him, Hiyori took out his phone.

“...Ikuya hasn't messaged me either. It's not a good sign,” he said.

“I'm not sure what we can do about it though,” Kisumi replied, “I trust them both, so I feel like our best option would be to head home and wait for them to get in touch with us. Asahi will call, he just loses his head sometimes.”

“No. We're going to look for them.”

“Excuse me? This is my car. You'll go where I'll take you, unless you want to get back out.”

“I'll pay you for gas, if that's what this is.”

Kisumi sighed. It was clear that he couldn't argue with Hiyori where Ikuya was concerned. But at the end of the day, even if Hiyori's methods were extreme, his reasoning was that he cared about Ikuya – just like Asahi and Kisumi did. There were worse things that Kisumi could be doing than driving him around the city.

“...Fine, you can direct me to some of Ikuya's regular spots and we'll see if we can find them,” said Kisumi.

“Turn left.”

That was it. No word of thanks. But they were in this now and Kisumi wasn't going to give up. He just had to keep telling himself that if this worked out, then all of the tension in their group could be resolved – Asahi and Hiyori might get over their beef with each other and Ikuya could be happy once again. And after that, the ultimate light at the end of the tunnel for Kisumi was that he'd get to go with his little brother and Makoto to watch the qualifications.

Yes, that would be more than worth spending one afternoon in a car with an irritated Hiyori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AmberGalaxy's Twitter](https://twitter.com/Amberr_Galaxy)
> 
> [SamCyberCat's Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheScruffyCat)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their search for Ikuya and Asahi becomes fruitless, Kisumi takes Hiyori back to his apartment for a heart-to-heart. But it spirals into something much more than that...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by AmberGalaxy (and with it, the rating of this fic goes up to M~)

An hour or so ago, Kisumi felt like he was finally regaining control with the situation, but right now, as he drove through Tokyo with a disgruntled Hiyori, he felt as though everything was starting to slip through his fingers again. The car felt like a cage, being guarded by Hiyori, where his phone was entirely out of reach. Kisumi was twitching to grab it and find out what was going on with Ikuya and Asahi, but he could hardly do it while driving down a busy street, let alone with Hiyori watching.

Speaking of Hiyori, his expression was stony, a far cry from his usual smile, but Kisumi suspected that smile wasn’t often genuine anyway. They drove in awkward silence, which didn’t feel right. Even with people he hadn’t know for very long, Kisumi could be chatty, but right now, the atmosphere felt heavy.

“Make a right here.” Hiyori suddenly said.

“Eeh…? But there’s so many lanes, I’ll get lost!”

“I’ll guide you, I know this street. _Make a right.”_

Kisumi pouted, but did what Hiyori said. He’d never even been to this part of Tokyo, but Hiyori was looking out the car window intently, into the cafes on the side street.

“I can’t see him… Slow down so I can get a better look.”

The car behind them beeped, and Kisumi suddenly huffed and took a sharp turn away on to a different street, jerking Hiyori so hard that his glasses went askew. He looked over at Kisumi, outraged.

“What are you doing? I was looking for Ikuya!”

“Maybe Ikuya is just fine right now, maybe we should leave him to it for a while.” Kisumi said firmly, turning back on to a road he was familiar with, heading towards Hidaka University. “We’re going to go back to my apartment and have a proper talk.”

“But… we…-“

“No buts. I know there’s a reasonable person in there somewhere, Hiyori. You’re going to listen to me this time.”

There was something rather satisfying about seeing Hiyori so flustered and quiet and Kisumi had to resist smirking for the rest of the drive back, feeling quite pleased that he’d finally put Hiyori in his place. Makoto would be so proud of him! They didn’t speak for the rest of the journey, but Kisumi felt like he’d regained control. When they parked back up outside of Kisumi’s apartment building, he finally checked his phone, seeing one message from Asahi.

_I think ikuya and I are working it out :)._

***  
  
Hiyori looked stressed as Kisumi sat him down at the kotatsu in his apartment, so Kisumi went off to make some tea to calm his nerves. It wasn’t good that Hiyori was reverting back to his old ways already, but Kisumi knew the facts now. Of course Hiyori was now happy to let Ikuya spend time with his friends outside his swim team, but Asahi was a threat for obvious reasons. Of course, Kisumi didn’t see it like that, but if Hiyori felt so strongly for Ikuya, he probably wasn’t seeing things rationally at all.

By the time Kisumi brought the tea over, Hiyori looked like he was ready to go.

“I need to go and find him, he could be anywhere-“

Kisumi put a hand on Hiyori’s broad shoulder and forced him back down, speaking to him just as firmly. “You’re going to stay here and you’re going to relax. They’re fine.”

“This is so unfair, you’re Asahi’s friend, so you’re giving him an unfair advantage.”

Kisumi sighed, shaking his head before he sipped his tea. “You’re being very silly now, Ikuya isn’t some object to be won in a race.”

Hiyori cringed guiltily, before sheepishly taking his own cup. “I know that…”

“Then stop treating him like one. Regardless of any romantic drama, Asahi and Ikuya care about each other very much. Can’t you appreciate that much.”

“No.”

Hiyori’s voice was blunt and hurt, and just like that, Kisumi knew something had happened. Something more than the underlying attraction between Asahi and Ikuya that had been brewing for all to see. There was a pause while Kisumi waited for Hiyori to collect himself, and then he spoke carefully.

“... Did something happen, Hiyori?”

Hiyori’s expression went from cold to pained, and for a moment, Kisumi thought he was going to cry. It’d be fine if he did, but Hiyori had shown on many occasions that he wasn’t the type to be open about his emotions.

“…Nothing happened.”

Kisumi sighed. “Come on, don’t give me that. What happens in this apartment stays in this apartment.~ You can speak to me in confidence, you’re my friend too.”

“I don’t know…”

It was clear that Hiyori didn’t even want to think about what happened, and from that, Kisumi figured it out.

“…You saw them together, didn’t you.”

Hiyori didn’t respond, but he flinched, and Kisumi knew he’d hit the nail on the head. Ikuya and Asahi weren’t an item, but they’d evidently had an intimate moment, an intimate moment Hiyori had walked in on. After another stretching silence, Hiyori nodded.

“When we all went to that party after the competition in Mejiro… I went looking from Ikuya and I found them both out the back. They were… kissing.”

Part of Kisumi felt a little thrill that Ikuya and Asahi had actually kissed, but he also couldn’t help but feel bad for Hiyori. Jealousy didn’t come naturally to Kisumi, but he still understood that seeing someone you like kissing someone else could be painful. He must have been staring at Hiyori pitifully, because he turned away with disgust.

“For goodness sake, you don’t have to feel so sorry for me.”

Kisumi cocked his head. “Why not? That must have hurt if you like Ikuya. I care about you, so I don’t want to see you hurting.”

Hiyori softened, but he still didn’t smile. “I don’t know why, I’ve been pretty awful to you over the past few days. Sorry. I know you’re trying to work out what’s best for everyone, it’s just… what’s best for everyone might hurt me for a while. I’m… working through it.”

Kisumi wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m sorry, Hiyori.”

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

Kisumi cocked his head the other way, still feeling confused. “All this? I guess so, I don’t want to see my friends suffering-“

“No, not that.” Hiyori waved his hand dismissively. “When you see the person you like with… someone else.”

Kisumi raised an eyebrow. “I still don’t follow.”

“Well…” Hiyori was regaining his composure now, pausing to take another sip of his tea. “You like Tachibana, don’t you?”

Oh. Kisumi didn’t know that anyone had noticed that. Yes, Kisumi was flirty with Makoto, but he was flirty with most men. Flirting with guys was just something he enjoyed. It was true that he had… a rather large crush on Makoto in particular, but… He was with Haru, and Kisumi was at peace with that. Would it be nice if Kisumi got to date Makoto? Of course it would be, but… that’s not the way things worked out. And Kisumi liked Haru an awful lot too, everyone could see they were a perfect match.

“Yeah, I do. But it doesn’t really bother me. Makoto is really happy with Haru, so I’m happy to see them happy together.”  
Hiyori looked up at Kisumi, a tinge of awe in his eyes. “Wow.”

Kisumi just shrugged. “It’s… just the way I am.”

Hiyori deflated, finishing off his tea before he stared into the cup. “I wish I could be that emotionally mature, for Ikuya.”

They were getting somewhere, Kisumi felt. Hiyori really was a good guy, someone else feeling the jealousy he was feeling wouldn’t be putting Ikuya first, and while Hiyori was struggling, the intention was still there.

“You’re trying your best, even though you’re hurting. I think that means you’ve got plenty of emotional maturity. Actually, I’d say Asahi and Ikuya might be the ones lacking in that department.”

Hiyori managed a small smile, but it didn’t last long. He looked tiredly accepting, but Kisumi still didn’t feel like everything was okay. Asahi and Ikuya seemed well on their way to a happy conclusion, but did it have to be at the cost of Hiyori’s happiness? Perhaps Hiyori would just have to get over it, but Kisumi couldn’t just say that.

…Perhaps he could provide… temporary relief?

“Hey so, Hiyori? I know something we could do…”

“Sorry, I’m not in the mood for basketball right now. Also, isn’t it kind of dark out now?”

Kisumi giggled, before shuffling close, tracing a long finger between the buttons of Hiyori’s shirt. That certainly got Hiyori’s attention, and he went tense, blushing bright red.

“No, silly. I mean like, do you wanna have some comfort sex?”

Poor Hiyori looked like he was going to explode.

“I-I… Iah…Auh…. W-what?”

Kisumi batted his hand, trying his best to assure him. “It’s no big deal, it’ll be fun! Here, let me…”

Kisumi leaned in, kissing Hiyori slowly. At first, Hiyori tensed up even more, but as Kisumi eased him further into it, he gingerly started to kiss back. Feeling satisfied, Kisumi leaned back, delicately taking Hiyori’s hand to lead him to his bed.

“I’ll make you forget. Just for a little while.”

***

A few hours later, Kisumi and Hiyori lay together, naked and tangled in Kisumi’s bed sheets. Kisumi lounged over him like a cat that’d got the cream, tracing a hand over his wide chest. It’d been so long since Kisumi had a hot guy in his bed! Hiyori on the other hand, looked like he wasn’t quite sure what had hit him. Maybe it had been a while for Hiyori too.

“See, wasn’t that fun? Sometimes the best way to get over a guy is to get under another one. You can come to me anytime you know? I’ll always be glad to listen. Also, are you okay? You look a little pale-“

“I’ve never done that before.”

Oh. _Oh._ Oops. Did Kisumi just take Hiyori’s virginity? But Hiyori was such a hot and confident guy! Had he really… never? Not with anyone?

“Oh.”

Kisumi flopped next to Hiyori and joined him in staring at the ceiling. Beside them, Hiyori’s phone buzzed. He took it and looked at it dazedly.

“It’s… Ikuya… He wants to talk to me…”

Kisumi groaned and pulled the covers over his face. Somehow, he had a feeling that he might have made everything worse. Makoto would be so… he’d be _so…_

…Disappointed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Asahi and Ikuya have a chance to talk as just the two of them, they finally start trying to sort out their problems. The same cannot be said for Hiyori and Kisumi, however...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by SamCyberCat.

Eyes were on them as they sat at their table in the cafe, so Asahi could tell that this was far from Ikuya's first time coming to this place. Except that he would probably be here with someone else and that was why people were watching them – they wanted to know why Ikuya was with some redhead and not with Hiyori, like he usually was.

Asahi tried not to let that get to him too much.

“This is a nice place,” he said, “I mean, not as nice as the Marron, of course, but we can't exactly talk there without Akane listening to everything we're saying.”

Although Asahi had a feeling that his sister wouldn't be surprised about any of this. She'd always known that Asahi had a thing for Ikuya, better than most. Which was why Asahi had been mortified that time she'd teased them by saying Ikuya could take Asahi off her hands if he wanted. Damn, Asahi still remembered the strange look that Ikuya had given him that day...

“It's good. There's lots of good cafes around here,” said Ikuya, snapping him out of his thoughts, “But I agree that the Marron is the best. I'm glad we get to go there now.”

_'We'_ probably meaning _'Ikuya and Hiyori',_ huh?

“Don't worry, no matter what happens with us, I'd never stop you from going there, That'd be too cruel,” he said.

“I know, but it might be too awkward if...”

“...If what?”

Ikuya looked like he didn't know how to put it into words. He wasn't the only one. Asahi watched as Ikuya gestured between the two of them, before giving up and lowering his arms back to his side.

“I don't know what we are,” Ikuya admitted, “And you don't know what we are, either. If neither of us know, then how can we expect anyone else to figure it out? We've put both Hiyori and Kisumi in a difficult situation. I'm not wild about Kisumi sticking his nose into all of this, but he wouldn't feel like he had to if we just figured out what was going on and were clear about that.”

“Kisumi means well. He'd never hurt a fly, trust me,” assured Asahi, “But that's even more reason why I hate doing this to him. So that's why we need to talk about this, huh? Make some decisions together, so everyone can be on the same page. Especially the two of us.”

Because right now it felt like Ikuya and Asahi weren't even in the same book, let alone on the same page.

“But that's not the only thing we need to talk about,” Ikuya said. His expression became a bit sterner; “Don't think I've forgotten about your feelings on Hiyori. You can't just brush him under a rug like that.”

“Sometimes I wish I could... No, sorry, I don't mean that,” Asahi sighed, “Look, I'm not gonna pretend that I'm all buddy-buddy with the guy when I'm not. It'll take time for me to fully get over everything he did. But I know that he means a lot to you and if you can vouch for him, well... I probably should've been more respectful of that. Guess I should be sorry to both of you.”

Ikuya sighed; “You say that now, but I know you'll end up bickering with him again the moment you're both in a room together.”

“Yeah, that's because- ...because...”

“Because what?”

“Because I'm jealous, okay? There, I said it.”

Probably louder than he intended to, because once again, people were looking their way. Asahi felt himself burning up. But it seemed the only one who didn't get this was Ikuya, who was now blinking across at him in confusion.

“Why would you be jealous of Hiyori?” Ikuya asked.

“Because the guy's clearly in love with you,” said Asahi, who didn't think that he needed to point that out, “The two of you are practically joined at the hip, you've been together for a lot of years now, he stood by you through everything and you even go to the same uni as each other. How am I supposed to stand a chance against that?”

Ikuya went quiet for a long time. It seemed like he was putting this all together in his head and trying to figure out what to say. As Asahi watched him, Ikuya picked up his cup and daintily took a sip of his pistachio cream. When he lowered it again, he looked across at Asahi, but there was no malice in his face.

“...You stand a chance because I like you,” Ikuya said.

Asahi's heart suddenly seemed to stop. And then in the next moment it was hammering at a million miles an hour, his face redder than his hair. He was shaking all over, as if he'd come down with a fever. No wonder Ikuya's expression changed to one of concern.

“Are you okay...?” asked Ikuya, “I can call someone if-”

“-N-no, I'm fine!” Asahi yelped, not sounding fine at all, “It's just that... you like me?”

“Don't you already know?” Ikuya raised an eyebrow.

“Well... yes! And no! A-and it's confusing, okay? After what happened in the changing rooms a-and then when we were arguing at Kisumi's place... I know that I like you, but what if I'm screwing up all the time? I really thought that you hated me after that...” Asahi admitted.

Ikuya reached across the table and put his hand on Asahi's arm. Somehow, that single gesture carried more weight than the entirety of the last few days. He looked up to see that Ikuya was smiling softly. And Ikuya had the most beautiful smile...

“You do screw up, kind of a lot,” Ikuya said, “But I don't hate you. Far from it. And we both know that I screw up as well.”

“Hah... a couple of screw ups, that's us,” joked Asahi, finally feeling a bit lighter, “But I'm glad to know how you feel. M-maybe I should've said this from the start, but I feel the same way. Still figuring a lot of stuff out, but I know that I more than like you.”

“So if I more than like you and you more than like me, then neither of us should have anything to worry about,” said Ikuya.

“But what about Hiyori?” Asahi pressed. They'd hardly resolved that line of conversation, after all.

“...What happens between Hiyori and myself is our business. I'm going to need you and Kisumi both to respect that,” Ikuya insisted, his stance on that matter the same, “But Hiyori's not the one sitting here with me right now, is he? The way I see it, both you and Hiyori can ask me if you like and it's my choice how I react. But so far, neither of you have asked.”

Asahi almost dived across the table, upsetting a cup of sugar as he did. The cashier called across at him to behave, but Asahi wasn't even listening. Instead he took Ikuya's free hand in both of his own and looked into his eyes, the intensity of their gazes matching each other.

“Ikuya... would you go out with an idiot like me?” he asked.

The answer to that... was a kiss. Ikuya pressed forward, placing his lips softly against Asahi's. This wasn't the first time they'd kissed, it wasn't even the second, but this time was the softest. When he pulled away, Ikuya nodded.

“I'd love to go out with you, Asahi. So long as you're going to prove to me that you can treat a guy right,” Ikuya purred.

“I'll treat you so right that you won't know what hit you! ...Wait, no, that didn't sound very good. I meant it in a classy way. Like we could go see a movie and get dinner? Except we're already in a cafe, so we're kind of doing this out of order, huh?” Asahi babbled, “But maybe they'll throw us out soon, since we're being a nuisance. So after they kick us out, I'll prove to you that I can be the great, classy boyfriend you deserve, okay?”

Ikuya laughed. He'd made Ikuya laugh. It was like a chorus of angels, although maybe Asahi was just biased.

“It'll be a work in progress,” Ikuya said, “But I'll take you up on that movie offer. And on the boyfriend thing as well.”

Asahi let go of Ikuya's hand and climbed off the table, instead offering his arm out to him. That seemed like something a classy boyfriend would do.

“...Then let's get out of here, Ikuya Kirishima.”

For the two of them, it was going to be a good evening.

***

For Kisumi, it _had_ been a good evening right up until Hiyori's revelation. He covered his face with his hand and groaned, as next to him, Hiyori sat up to check his phone. Kisumi wouldn't have been worried about the fact that it was Ikuya calling him if not for what they'd just done. With Hiyori feeling how he did about Ikuya, surely Kisumi had only muddied the waters with his actions.

Why was Kisumi like this? He'd only been trying to help and the two of them seemed to be having fun at the time, but-

“...Ikuya?”

Yeah, that was kind of the whole situation summed up in one word, wasn't it? Kisumi couldn't hear what Ikuya was saying, but for the next several minutes, Hiyori spoke with him, sounding dazed as he did.

“...I see. Yeah... Uh-huh. No, everything's fine... I promise. Well, I'll call you in the morning, okay? Goodnight, Ikuya...”

Presumably Hiyori hung up after this, but even then, neither of them said anything. Kisumi was still racked with guilt about what had just happened. He pulled himself up to a sitting position, covering himself with his pink bedsheets, although it was far too late for any modesty.

After the silence had lingered for too long, Hiyori spoke.

“...Turns out you were right,” he said, “They found each other and now the two of them are dating. Ikuya was worried about how I felt about that... Pitiful, isn't it? That he'd feel the need to check with me before doing what he wanted... As if I haven't always wanted what Ikuya wanted. Hah... guess you got what you wanted as well, since you were so keen for Ikuya and Asahi to hook up.”

Hiyori hung his head in shame. And honestly, Kisumi might've let him have that pity for the first part, but the last comment riled him, even in this state.

“I wanted for everyone to be happy,” Kisumi insisted, “Sure, I've known those two had a thing for each other, but if Ikuya had ended up with you instead, then I'd have been happy so long as everyone else was happy.”

“But there was no way for everyone to be happy,” said Hiyori, “Someone was going to get hurt either way. And it turns out that... it was me this time.”

“I'm sorry that's the case...” Kisumi whispered, reaching a hand out to Hiyori's shoulder.

Hiyori shrugged his hand away.

“You're not sorry. What do you care? Now this is over, you can stop pretending.”

...No. That was too far. Kisumi put his hand on Hiyori's shoulder again and this time he turned Hiyori to face him, glaring across at him with a sort of anger that was unfamiliar to Kisumi.

“I do care! You're one of us now and I care about you,” he insisted, “Hiyori... I'd ask who hurt you, but we already know the answer to that. Either way, you can't keep moping around like this and pushing away everyone who tries to help you. What about what you were saying before? Don't you want to be the mature one... even if it's more for Ikuya's sake than your own right now?”

At first Kisumi thought that Hiyori wouldn't answer or that he'd just push him away again. But this time, Hiyori finally cracked. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Neither Hiyori nor Kisumi had expressions that suited them right now.

“How can you help me...? How can anyone possibly help with something so hopeless...?” Hiyori asked.

Words weren't what was needed right now. Kisumi let go of Hiyori's shoulder and instead wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. He rested his head on Hiyori's shoulder, hardly able to believe that not long ago, the two of them were blissfully joining one another in a way that had nothing to do with anyone else. But now... well, now had a lot to do with other people. Even so, Hiyori raised his own strong arms and hugged Kisumi in return. Some of the weight of this evening was shared with each other.

“You can stay the rest of the night...” Kisumi offered.

“Yes,” said Hiyori, “I think I will...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AmberGalaxy's Twitter](https://twitter.com/Amberr_Galaxy)
> 
> [SamCyberCat's Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheScruffyCat)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the morning after rolls around, Kisumi and Hiyori can talk with clearer heads about everything that's happened. But there's still so much up in the air and it doesn't help that Ikuya and Asahi are nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by AmberGalaxy.

Kisumi was no stranger to waking up in bed after a one-night stand, but he knew that Hiyori was, so he made an effort when the sun rose the next morning. He slipped out from under his pink bedsheets, letting Hiyori rest in his blissfully ignorant sleep for a while longer. Kisumi was delighted that Ikuya and Asahi had found each other, but he also ached for Hiyori, who had to suffer his heart being broken as a result. Despite Hiyori’s reputation of being possessive and manipulative, Kisumi could clearly see that they were only surface attributes. He’d behaved extremely maturely on the phone with Ikuya when he broke the news, and Kisumi gained a lot of respect for Hiyori because of that.

Kisumi quietly tidied around his room, so Hiyori wouldn’t wake up to Kisumi’s usual wreck of make-up and boxes of hair dye strewn about the place. Then he folded Hiyori’s clothes into a neat pile, placing them on the edge of the bed. Kisumi would have happily lend him some of his own, but Hiyori was a lot broader than Kisumi was. They… didn’t really have the same style anyway.

With his dorm room looking a little more presentable, Kisumi slipped out to the communal bathroom, since it was always nice to give the illusion that he always woke up looking pink and pretty and clean. When he was freshly showered, he hastily dried his hair, styled it, and slapped on some make-up. Hiyori had looked dead to the world when Kisumi left him (heartbreak was exhausting) so hopefully he’d still be sleeping for this long so Kisumi would be able to complete the final step of his plan, which of course was a nice breakfast in bed. There was no time to cook, but he’d be able to grab something from the cafeteria to bring up no problem.

But as Kisumi walked past Asahi’s room toward the stairs, he could hear muffled voices. He wasn’t alone in there, Kisumi clearly wasn’t the only person in the dorm to bring a guy home. He froze in place, wondering whether to knock on the door and warn them, more for Hiyori’s sake than theirs, but then that would open a whole other can of worms.

…Kisumi would just have to be quick getting food, that’s all. Then he could keep Hiyori busy until Asahi and Ikuya left the building, and he wouldn’t have to suffer through heartbreak all over again.

***

Asahi usually slept in when he didn’t have classes or training, but right now, it felt like a blessing to be awake, because he could admire Ikuya’s beautiful sleeping form. Ikuya was always so guarded and hardened when he was awake, so to see him so peaceful in his sleep was a gift. Asahi gently traced his fingers over Ikuya’s cheek, taking note of his long, dark eyelashes. Ikuya stirred, and Asahi took his hand away, speaking gently.

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

Ikuya blinked sleepily, before smiling and stretching out his body luxuriously. “Mh. It’s okay, I was already waking up.”

Asahi smiled, leaning to to kiss Ikuya’s back, eliciting delicious, soft giggles from him. They kissed and held each other, before Ikuya sighed and pulled away.

“…We went way too fast, didn’t we.”

Asahi shrugged. “I dunno. We already were on our way to this at the party. Plus, wasn’t I amazing?”

Ikuya scoffed, mockingly pushing Asahi’s face away. “Yeah, yeah. Gloat all you want, Monkey Man. You made much more noise than me last night.”

Asahi smirked, nuzzling his face into the crook of Ikuya’s neck until he started laughing again. “Noises of _enthusiasm.”_ Asahi pulled back, his smile becoming a little more serious. “For real though, are you okay?”

Ikuya nodded, smiling back. “More than okay. Last night _was_ amazing. Was…” Ikuya blushed a little, glancing away. “Was that your first time?”

Asahi swallowed and went red in turn. “Well… Uh. With a guy. Well. All the way… with a guy. I’ve kissed girls but like… I’ve never felt this strongly about anyone but you.”

Ikuya’s blush deepened, this time with happiness. “It was my first time. I always thought my first time would be an awkward fumble with some poor girl at a drunken frat party, but this was much more special.”

Asahi sat up in bed, pulling Ikuya close to his chest. They were close to being the same build and height, but it felt good to feel like the big man. “I’m glad I could do that for you then. I may have had a few fumbles at parties myself, but I think I’d like to consider this my _official_ first time.”

Ikuya sighed happily and curled into Asahi’s chest, feeling aglow with happiness, but then dread dropped like a stone in his stomach.

“…I hope Hiyori’s okay.”

Asahi’s first instinct was to say something disparaging, but then he remembered that he didn’t have any need to be threatened by Hiyori any more. Ikuya had chosen him. Now Asahi just felt sorry for him. He glanced away guiltily.

“…He’s probably not okay and we both know it, but he will be in time. The guy cares about you, he’ll want you to be happy.” Asahi looked down at Ikuya anxiously. “You are happy, right?”

Ikuya smiled up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course I am, stupid Asahi.”

***

When Kisumi returned to the room, all seemed to be still and quiet in the dorm, so assumedly, nothing had happened. The quiet voices were still coming from Asahi’s room, so they probably weren’t going to get up anytime soon. Kisumi smiled and hummed as he trotted past, heading into his own room. Hiyori was still out for the count, so he set about putting together breakfast as artfully as he could. Hiyori seemed like a man with high standards, which Kisumi appreciated, but at the same time, it probably meant he wouldn’t appreciate having a plastic bag of cafeteria food shoved on his lap for breakfast. Kisumi arranged it on a tray instead, even placing a decorative plastic flower next to his tea cup. The smell of food must have wafted to the bed, because Hiyori finally started to stir. Just in time! He’d wake up to a fine breakfast, served by the pristine, pink man he slept with last night. Ikuya would be forgotten in seconds! Well, of course he wouldn’t, but Kisumi was doing what he could.

“Rise and shine!” Kisumi chirped, bringing the tray over with a flourish. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got you a bit of everything! Do you have training today? It’s always important to eat a hearty breakfast to keep yourself strong!”

Hiyori sat up, dark circles around his usually bright eyes. Were they always there? Or was it just because he hadn’t put his glasses on yet? Oh, his glasses! Kisumi set the tray down on Hiyori’s lap and passed them to him.

“…Thanks.”

Hiyori looked like last night was crashing down on him like cold wave. He looked down at the tray with a grimace, but Kisumi wasn’t phased.

“Sorry it’s not up to the standards of your fancy cafes.”

Hiyori hesitantly brandished his chopsticks. “I assume you didn’t make this?”

“Oh no!” Kisumi laughed and batted his hand in amusement. “If I was a better cook though, I definitely would have, and you’d have woken up to the sight of me at the stove, wearing nothing but an apron.~”

Hiyori scoffed, but he took a bite of some rice, shaking his head. “You’re shameless.”

“Oh, I know.”

“I don’t know what your family must think of you.”

Kisumi shrugged. “Not a great deal, to be honest. I get on well with my uncle though, and my little brother idolises me. Well, he idolises Makoto more now, but I can hardly blame him!”

Hiyori raised an eyebrow, it was clear that in his miserable, tired state, he couldn’t even be bothered to put up his usual front. “I still don’t know what you see in that guy. He’s so dull.”

Kisumi gasped in mock horror. “You don’t get the appeal of Makoto Tachibana? That man is an _Adonis_ with a kind smile! He should be put in a museum to be admired.”

Hiyori snorted, taking a sip of tea. “Whatever floats your boat. He’s a nice guy I guess, which is more than can be said for myself.”

Kisumi giggled, “You got that right.”

They ate in companionable silence for a while, and Hiyori perked up a tiny bit, though he still looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Outside Kisumi’s dorm room were lots of unpleasant things he’d have to deal with, the least Kisumi could do was keep him here a little longer. Once they'd finished their food, Kisumi perched back on the bed, crossing his legs neatly.

“Have you got training today?”

Hiyori stretched, but he made no effort to get up and get dressed, lounging back in Kisumi’s bed. Kisumi couldn’t help but admire his rippling muscles. Most of his friends seemed to have that trait in common, but it didn’t mean that Kisumi didn’t admire them individually.

“Nope. I’ll probably drop by the pool to do some training on my own, but… not until later. I… I don’t think I can face Ikuya today.”

Kisumi glanced to his door, hoping that Hiyori wouldn’t face Ikuya the moment he stepped out of it. With any luck, both he and Asahi would be gone by the time Hiyori left.

“That’s understandable, so you’ll take it easy today then? It is a special day though, your first day without your virginity!”

Hiyori went pink and frowned deeply. “Are you mocking me?”

Kisumi wasn’t afraid of Hiyori any more, so he just giggled and shrugged. “A little bit, you’re fun to tease. Don’t worry, it’s all in good fun.”

Hiyori still pouted, but he accepted that. Kisumi wondered if he’d ever been playfully teased like this before. From what Ikuya had quietly told them, it didn’t sound like Hiyori had many friends before him.

“You’re awfully casual about the subject.” Hiyori said, “When did… you lose yours?”

Kisumi took the question entirely seriously this time, tracing a slim finger around his teacup.

“Oh, gosh. I was far too young, to be honest. I wish I’d lost it when I was older and knew a bit more about myself. I enjoy it though. I always make sure to use bucketloads of protection, and I never go off with men who are intoxicated. Or if I’m intoxicated. And I only sleep with men I entirely trust.”

Hiyori smiled. It was a small smile, but it was still a smile! Kisumi’s heart leapt with triumph.

“So, you entirely trust me then? Is that wise?”

Kisumi hummed, leaning in. “We’ll just have to see.”

Hiyori leaned in, but Kisumi playfully darted away, taking the empty tray and cups to his counter.

“Really though, it’s not a big deal. You enjoyed yourself last night, didn’t you?”

Hiyori pretended to consider, but then he nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, I did.”

Kisumi grinned. “Then my job is done! It’s wonderful when you enjoy your very first time, it’s actually rarer than people would lead you to believe.”

The prospect of Hiyori’s second time still hung in the air, it felt like both of them wanted to suggest it, but weren’t sure if it was a good idea. Perhaps it wasn’t with things being so raw.

“…Hiyori, if you seriously ever need to talk. I’m always here. Ikuya will understand if you need space from him for a while.”

Hiyori sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know. You’re all very understanding. I wish I could be more like that. …Thanks. Though didn’t you say you didn’t understand jealousy?”

Did Kisumi say that? He supposed he didn’t really. Of course he’d felt envious of smaller things, like men being better looking… people with more money… but it was never more than a fleeting thought. As for romance… well, he’d never really been close enough to anyone like to to warrant being jealous.

Hiyori sat up, studying Kisumi seriously. “Say if you really were going out with Tachibana-“

“-Well, that’ll never happen. He’s with Haru, everyone knows that-

“Say if you were. This is hypothetical. So Tachibana is your boyfriend, but then… he says he has to break up with you because he’s fallen for someone else. How would you feel?”

It was hard to imagine such a ridiculous situation, but Kisumi did his best. He struggled, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought deeply about it.

“…I suppose I’d feel sad. But I’d wish him well.”

Hiyori was smiling sadly now, but then he got to his feet, putting his clothes back on.

“Awww, I was enjoying ogling you!”

Hiyori tutted, but he was smiling smugly now. “Alright, alright. Enough of this for now. I really should go. I feel like I need ten showers.”

Kisumi jumped to his feet. “Are you going back to your university? Can I come with you?”

He expected Hiyori to put up a fight, but to his surprised, he just shrugged and nodded.

“Sure. Since you made me breakfast, I should treat you to lunch. I know some great places.”

A day out! Kisumi whooped with joy and grabbed his coat, trotting after Hiyori into the dorm’s hallway. Hiyori was still halfway through buttoning up his shirt when he froze.

“Hiyori, what’s wro-“

“Ikuya…”

Hiyori was staring, his face white. Ikuya was standing outside of Asahi’s door, wearing one of Asahi’s shirts, clearly on his way to the communal bathroom. It was pretty obvious to both of them what was going on.

“…Hiyori?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AmberGalaxy's Twitter](https://twitter.com/Amberr_Galaxy)
> 
> [SamCyberCat's Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheScruffyCat)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ikuya and Hiyori head off to talk about everything that's happened, Kisumi is suddenly presented with a gift from his knight in shining armour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by SamCyberCat.

The hallway felt exposed, despite there only being three people in it right now. Well, four, since Asahi rushed out as soon as he'd heard voices to see what the hold up was. Ikuya suddenly felt chilly and more than a little guilty. He wrapped Asahi's shirt closer to himself, wishing that he'd at least made it to the communal bathroom before coming across Hiyori again. But it wasn't fair to think that. They... shouldn't avoid dealing with this.

He watched the expressions on their faces. Hiyori's briefly cycled between surprise to hurt and then to his usual smile, as if nothing had happened. As if he felt completely fine, when all of them knew that he didn't. Meanwhile, Kisumi recovered from his own surprise and tried to smooth things over with a cheerful flourish.

“Good morning, you two! Looks like you guys had a busy night, huh?” Kisumi chimed.

But Ikuya stepped forward. They couldn't just pretend this hadn't happened.

“Kisumi... would you mind if I talked to Hiyori... alone?” he asked. Then he looked back at Asahi; “Would you mind that as well?”

Asahi was clearly apprehensive, but he shook his head; “That's fine. We'll meet up again later, okay?”

“Of course. I still need to clean off regardless, so I'll come back up here after I'm done in the bathroom,” Ikuya said, before turning back to Hiyori, “Are you all right with that?”

“I'll always talk with you,” said Hiyori, loyal as ever. But then, to Ikuya's surprise, Hiyori turned back to Kisumi; “We're still on for lunch later. Don't be late.”

It almost seemed as if Kisumi was surprised as well. But he nodded along all the same, his usual crinkly-eyed smile appearing.

“Wouldn't dream of standing you up. Same place as last time?”

“You catch on quickly.”

With that, Hiyori moved to stand with Ikuya. Before they left, Ikuya took one last look at Asahi, smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way, before he walked off with Hiyori to find a quiet area of the dorms where they could talk. Ikuya still couldn't go far while he was dressed like this. Perhaps it would've been more sensible to ask Asahi or Kisumi if they could talk in one of their rooms, but Ikuya didn't feel right about that, even if he doubted that either of them would've objected.

In the end, he sat with Hiyori outside some changing rooms they'd come across, which were mercifully empty due to how late in the morning it was – everyone else was probably already up and about by now.

The two of them sat in silence for a while. Often when it was just them, Ikuya was happy to let Hiyori lead the conversation. But he realised that in this situation, there was no way that could be the case. Hiyori was waiting for Ikuya to speak. He was waiting for confirmation that everything was okay. It was Ikuya's duty to deliver that.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. Hiyori's head turned ever so slightly towards him.

“Thank you for being okay with all of this,” Ikuya said.

“It's you. It's... us. I'd never not be okay with your choices,” Hiyori assured him.

“But you'd have a right to, if they were hurting you. And I know this is hurting you, but... this is how I feel,” said Ikuya, “I don't regret falling for Asahi, but I do regret hurting you in the process.”

“I'll recover.”

It was a short answer, yet somehow the vaguest one that Ikuya had ever heard.

“I hope you do,” he said, “It looks like Kisumi hopes that as well.”

Hiyori clicked his tongue; “I wish you hadn't seen that...”

“And I wish you hadn't seen... this,” replied Ikuya, gesturing down to Asahi's shirt that he was wearing, “But maybe it's better that the four of us have this out in the open. No more secrets, no more sneaking about.”

Ikuya was still a little sore about that, even if Kisumi's intentions had been good.

“You say that, but you don't know what's going on between Kisumi and myself,” Hiyori pointed out.

Ikuya wasn't going to let him have that one; “I would know if you told me. You don't want to keep secrets from me, do you, Hiyori?”

“...All right, fine. I can't tell you because I don't fully know myself,” Hiyori admitted, “We slept together last night. It was comfort sex and I... I enjoyed myself. He's a very caring person, even when he has no reason to be. We're going out for lunch together today, but I don't know if anything more will come of it. He's honest about his casual nature and I, well, I don't think I could get over... you that quickly.”

On instinct, Ikuya wanted to apologise for that, but it wouldn't be fair to do so. Hiyori couldn't help his feelings for Ikuya any more than Ikuya could help his own feelings for Asahi.

“Thank you for being honest with me. Hiyori, you're the only person who can choose where you go from here, but I think... I think that you seem to like Kisumi enough that it's worth seeing where this goes. That you might surprise yourselves. Just like Asahi and me did.”

“Wise as ever. There's a reason that I fell for you,” said Hiyori. He then got to his feet, the same smile on his face as always; “Well, you should go get cleaned up now. There's only so long we can sit out here before someone comes across us.”

He was evading. Ikuya knew Hiyori well enough to know that.

“Are you okay?”

“No. But I will be.”

That was the best answer that Hiyori could give right now, so Ikuya would ask no more of him. Instead, he got to his feet and nodded quietly to Hiyori, before the two of them parted ways. Ikuya realised that Hiyori would need to use the communal bathroom too, as would Asahi, but it was probably for the best that they all gave each other space right now. They would be fine, perhaps even better than before, but they couldn't force this to happen quickly.

***

Kisumi counted down in his head until Hiyori and Ikuya were out of earshot. Then, as he expected, Asahi dropped his calm facade and freaked out.

“What just happened back there? I mean... I know what happened between Ikuya and me! You know that as well. But... You and _Hiyori!_ Like, Hiyori...!” Asahi gasped.

“Yes, Hiyori,” Kisumi confirmed, “He was actually a real gentleman. I'd like to go out with him again sometime.”

“How did that even happen?” said Asahi.

“You're not the only one who can hook up, you know,” Kisumi replied, “And no, we didn't set out to. I was trying to comfort him and things just... took that turn. But he's still very much in love with Ikuya. You're not getting away from it that easily.”

“All right... Ugh, I still don't get why you'd go with him, but it's not my place to judge. Especially not after everything that's happened.” Asahi rubbed the back of his head; “It _is_ good of him to not make a fuss over this. I kind of expected that it'd all turn out a lot worse? But Ikuya... well, the two of us just couldn't hold it back any more.”

Kisumi chuckled; “I'm just surprised you two held back this long. I've had my money on you guys getting together since middle school. Hiyori coming along did make me curious though – Ikuya certainly did have his options, didn't he?”

It was so easy to wind up Asahi. In response to this, Asahi flexed his arms, frowning deeply.

“Yeah, well... Ikuya picked the best choice! I'm amazing, all right?”

“If you say s-”

“Kisumi! Asahi! So glad to have caught you guys.”

They both turned to see Makoto hurrying towards them, dressed in a huge winter coat and smiling as earnestly as ever. In all the drama of the last few days, it actually felt like much longer since Kisumi had last seen Makoto. He truly was a sight for sore eyes. And thankfully he didn't seem to suspect that anything out of the ordinary was happening, so he mustn't have passed Hiyori and Ikuya on the way here.

“Hey, Makoto! How are you?” Kisumi said, as Makoto reached them.

“I'm good, thanks for asking. Though I'm sorry to say that this is a flying visit,” Makoto admitted, “Haru's been at his training camp for the last few days and now he's back in town, the two of us are going to spend some time together. He's waiting in the car outside. But before we went there, I wanted to give you these.”

Makoto held out his hand and in it were the three tickets that he'd been able to get a hold of for Hayato. Something wasn't right about that though. Kisumi's brow furrowed in confusion.

“Isn't one of them for you?” he asked.

“Well, I have a feeling there's someone who needs it more than me,” said Makoto, “Don't worry, I'm sure that Haru will be able to get me in anyway. But, well, it's been a few days since I've seen you guys and whatever's happening... I hope this helps.”

Kisumi just stood there dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what to say. Did Makoto... somehow know about everything that had happened? Was the man truly a miracle of helping others fix their problems, even when Kisumi had tried to avoid dragging him into this?

There was an impatient toot of a car horn outside that was probably from Haru. Kisumi shook his head, realising how rude he was being. He took the tickets from Makoto and smiled up at him.

“...Thank you. From Hayato and myself. This really will make a big difference, Makoto.”

“I hope it will. Anyway, I'm sure I'll see you guys later.”

“You will! If I avoid the Marron forever, then Akane will come find me and demand to know what's wrong. Can't have that, can we? So I'm sure we'll all be there again this evening,” Asahi assured, jolting Kisumi out of the moment. He'd admittedly forgotten that Asahi there. Makoto just had that effect on him.

“Looking forward to it,” said Makoto, “Well, bye you two! And best of luck!”

With that, Makoto headed off, Kisumi's eyes on him until he'd disappeared around the corner. That Makoto was a true hero... dropping in here to save Kisumi's situation, before heading out for a date with Haru. The guy was too good to be real.

Asahi looked from Kisumi to the tickets in his hand and raised an eyebrow; “I guess Makoto took pity on me not being able to get seats. I might've... mentioned that to him the last time we met up. He must've thought we could go together, but...”

When Asahi let that hang awkwardly in the air, Kisumi held one of the tickets out for him.

“You could still come with us, you know? Hayato would be glad to see you again,” Kisumi offered.

But Asahi shook his head; “Nah, I feel like after everything that's happened, there's someone else you want to go with. Am I right?”

“You know, it might be a surprise for Hayato when I don't turn up with Makoto, but I do have an idea who to ask,” said Kisumi, smiling fondly, “Maybe I'll ask him while we're out to lunch together today.”

“Best of luck with that one then,” Asahi snorted, “If I was your brother, then I'd be disappointed to expect Makoto and get Hiyori instead.”

“Good thing you're not Hayato then. And Asahi... thanks for this.”

“Think nothing of it! You can pay me back by buying my lunch for the next month. And Ikuya's too, if things go well on my end.”

“It'll all be fine, I'm sure of that now,” Kisumi replied, “Now, I'd better let you go get cleaned up before Ikuya gets back from his shower.”

Kisumi gave Asahi a wink, before laughing at the disdained look Asahi gave him in return. Yes... it was all going to work out okay. Perhaps it'd be rocky at first, but all of them were going to be fine.

Even Kisumi and Hiyori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AmberGalaxy's Twitter](https://twitter.com/Amberr_Galaxy)
> 
> [SamCyberCat's Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheScruffyCat)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kisumi keeps his promise to take Hayato to the event, but Hayato wasn't expecting Hiyori to be the one going with them instead of Makoto. Hayato makes his dissatisfaction obvious, before taking matters into his own hands to solve "the Hiyori problem".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by AmberGalaxy. And posted just in time for Hiyori's birthday, so I hope you all enjoy his suffering. ;)

The following week felt like things were on their way to being alright again. They weren’t back to feeling normal, far from it. Asahi, Ikuya and Hiyori were oddly polite and awkward around each other, but to Kisumi, it meant they were on their way to all being friends. The lopsided smiles and bashful glances were much better than poisonous silences and loud arguing outside Kisumi’s door. Asahi and Ikuya were happy. It was obvious after catching glimpses of them together when they thought no one was watching. They looked like a perfect, beautiful couple out of a movie, all warm and happy and glowing with love for each other. It must have been hard for Hiyori to watch.

But Hiyori had been strong, and he’d been kind. He tried hard with Asahi, even though it was obvious he was struggling. Kisumi knew that not many men would stick by the side of someone who rejected them, but he stayed with Ikuya valiantly, determined to get things back to normal and to support Ikuya every step of his way. It was clear that Ikuya was grateful, and Kisumi knew that once Hiyori’s crush cooled and finally passed over, they’d be closer than ever.

Kisumi felt like Hiyori needed a reward, so he offered Hiyori the extra ticket to the swim tournament Makoto gave him.

“Wow. I’d love to go to this event that I raced for and lost a place from.”

Kisumi laughed nervously, batting his hand to wave Hiyori off. “You want to support Ikuya though, right? Besides, you’ll make the next one easily, it’s clear you had things on your mind when you were training for this one.”

Hiyori’s lips quirked into a smirk, and then he nodded. “Yeah, okay. Maybe after I can… come to your place? Make you dinner?”

Hiyori could be such a charmer! Kisumi giggled and went pink, but then he shook his head.

“I’d love that, but Hayato is staying with me. He’s… coming to the tournament too.”

Hiyori pulled a face. “Oh, I didn’t know that… Will he mind?”

“Of course not!” Kisumi said, “He’ll just be happy to watch all the swimmers. He’s been excited for it forever.”

But it turned out, that Hayato did mind. He minded very much indeed.

The following week, when Kisumi picked him up at the train station, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked around.

“Where’s Coach Tachibana?”

Kisumi hitched up Hayato’s bag, leading him out of the station towards the subway. “Oh, Hayato. He’s busy helping out Haru and the others, you know he’s studying to be a trainer now, right?”  
Hayato pouted, but he latched onto Kisumi’s hand. “But he’s the one that gave you the tickets…”

“My friend Hiyori is coming instead. He’s really nice, Hayato. He’s a backstroke swimmer, just like Makoto.”

Hayato didn’t look convinced. Despite how young he was, Kisumi knew he was smart. Hayato probably knew perfectly well what a “friend” of Kisumi entailed. Though Kisumi had no idea what to label what he and Hiyori were himself. They were friends and they were closer, yes, but they weren’t sleeping together regularly either. They were flirty, but things didn’t seem to progress further than that. Kisumi wasn’t sure what either of them wanted and… things were kind of nice the way they were. Kisumi was rather enjoying the cheeky dynamic they were building up. They’d just have to see how things went.

When Kisumi and Hayato got back to Kisumi’s dorm, Kisumi laid out the futon for him, while Hayato delicately sat on the bed.

“So, how are things at home? Mom and Dad okay?”

Hayato shrugged. “Same as always. I wish I could live here with you.”

Kisumi smiled a little sadly. It was nice to hear that Hayato wanted to be with him, but he also wished that home was enough for Hayato. Their parents needed to try harder with him.

“When you finish school, you can come to University and stay with me then! You’re so clever, Hayato. I’m sure you’ll get to University in no time.”

Hayato hummed in agreement. “Maybe we could both live with Coach Tachibana?”

Kisumi chuckled and ruffled Hayato’s hair. “You’d have to ask Makoto.”

“Well, I would… If we were seeing him tonight.” Hayato mumbled.

Oh dear. Kisumi should have thought this through. He knew that Hayato was extremely fond of Makoto (perhaps that ran in the Shigino line…) but he didn’t know that Makoto was the sole reason that Hayato wanted to see this tournament. He sat next to Hayato on the bed, putting an apologetic arm around him.

“…I didn’t think. Sorry… I know you wanted to see Makoto.”

Hayato looked glum, but he didn’t pull away. “Yes, I did.”

“We can go and see him after the races finish?”

Hayato looked up at that, though he still wasn’t smiling. “Can we? I really… wanted to… hear Coach Tachibana’s commentary. Since he’s such an expert.”

Kisumi had a feeling that it had more to do with Hayato wanting to listen to Makoto’s sweet voice. Understandable… Kisumi glanced down at Hayato, grinning as he raised his eyebrows. Hayato blushed deeply and folded his arms.

“…I guess it’s fine. As long as we can see him after.”

Hayato was so cute, getting his first puppy crush. He was growing up so fast! Kisumi wanted to coo over him, but decided that he’d embarrassed him enough for one day. Besides, he was being very reasonable about Makoto’s absence, hopefully that meant that he’d be reasonable about Hiyori’s presence too.

As they got ready to head out, Kisumi found himself fussing over what to wear. He was always particular about his outfit, but he must have been taking longer than usual, because Hayato started whining outside the door.

“Kisumiii! Come on, we’re gonna be late!”

Kisumi added a dab of rose gold eye shadow as a final touch, before cheerfully bounding out the door to appease Hayato. As they headed out to the pool, Hayato stared up at him suspiciously.

“Kisumi, do you like Tono-san more than Coach Tachibana?”

Kisumi blinked in surprise. “Well… I like all my friends equally, Hayato.”

“Hmm.” Hayato considered, putting his head on one side. “I know that’s kind of true… but I still think you have ones you like more than others.”

Kisumi grinned, he could play this game. “Alright, who do you like the most between Ran and Ren?”

Hayato gasped, “I could never choose! They’re both my friends!”

Kisumi smirked with triumph, it wasn’t often that he got one over on his smart little brother.

“Well, it must be a similar sort of thing then.”

Hayato laughed a little, and was placated as they walked on. He started chattering excitedly about the different tiers of the races and the different types of strokes, and even though most of Kisumi’s friends were swimmers, it was still all a bit beyond him. Still, it was wonderful to see Hayato so excited about something. He wasn’t afraid of the water at all now, and while Kisumi still had nightmares about him falling off that boat and flailing in panic in the sea, the main thing was that Hayato didn’t.

Hiyori was already waiting at the lobby, right on time as always. As Kisumi and Hayato went over, he tutted in irritation.

“You’re late.”

“Yes, yes, I know!” Kisumi said, cheerfully dismissive. “You know I like to look my best! This is Hayato, my brother.”

Hiyori went a bit pale, like he’d forgotten that Hayato was even there. He rubbed the back of his head, and went to offer Hayato his hand, before awkwardly abandoning the gesture, giving a half bow instead. It was painfully obvious that Hiyori didn’t know how to deal with children. Hopefully Hayato would make his disappointment that Hiyori replaced Makoto too obvious.

“…Hi, Shigino-kun. I’m Tono Hiyori. You can… call me Hiyori if you want.”

“Tono-san is fine.” Hayato said, as blunt as baseball bat. “I don’t really know you yet.”

Hiyori looked dumbfounded. Without his ability to snap back with a scathing remark, he was lost, and he looked to Kisumi for help.

“Oh, Hayato. Hiyori is nice! If I call him Hiyori, you should be able to call him Hiyori too.”

Hayato just shrugged. “He’s your friend, not mine.”

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and then, like a saviour from the heavens, Makoto suddenly appeared. Hayato’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning.

“Coach Tachibana!”

Hayato barrelled into Makoto to give him a hug, and Makoto chuckled, ruffling his hair.

“Hi, Hayato-kun! It’s so good to see you! I’m so happy you came to cheer for Haru and the others.”

Hayato nodded excitedly, still latched around Makoto’s waist. “Uhuh! Are you gonna swim too, Coach Tachibana?”

Makoto shook his head. “Not today, I’m afraid! I’ll be helping Haru out though, I’m hoping to help out a lot of these pros in the future. Wish me luck, okay?”

“I will! I’ll cheer for you even if I can’t see you! Coach Tachibana, can I tell you about all about the progress I’ve been making with my classes at home?”

Kisumi glanced at the clock, Makoto probably had to head to the changing rooms soon, but he nodded to Hayato anyway. Kisumi mouthed “thank you” over to him.

“Sure. Let’s go and have a drink at the café before I head through, okay?”

Hayato latched on to Makoto’s hand and they went off to the café, and Kisumi was glad he got a small moment alone with Hiyori.

“I’m sorry, Hayato really is a sweet and wonderful kid…”

Hiyori let out a breath, Kisumi didn’t even know he was holding it. “I don’t really blame him, I guess. Look’s like Tachibana is a natural with kids.”

“Oh yes,” Kisumi agreed. “He’s brilliant. Hayato adores him. Makoto taught him for a little while back in Iwatobi, hence the “Coach Tachibana”. Our parents are… a little inattentive, so I’m glad Hayato has a strong male influence in his life.”

Hiyori paused before he spoke, and Kisumi could feel his thoughtful gaze on him. “…Hah. Well, I know what that’s like. Maybe I could have used a Makoto growing up too. Besides, what about you? Aren’t you a strong male influence?”

KIsumi chuckled. “Oh gosh, I’m hardly the strong dad type. Makoto is sweet, but he’s got that masculine edge to him too.”

“Has he?” Hiyori sounded doubtful.

“Oh yes, I think so. So have you. So I’m sure Hayato will come round. Besides, I think seeing Makoto before we head in has cheered him up no end.”

But when Hayato came back, he looked like he wanted to glue his hand into Makoto’s own, and Makoto had to gently pry him away to get to his work. Even after he disappeared through to the changing rooms, Hayato was staring after him longingly.

“Come on, Hayato! We’ll see Makoto after. Hiyori’s a swimmer too, remember?”

“Uhuh…” Hayato wasn’t listening. Hiyori looked more awkward than ever. Kisumi really wanted Hayato to like Hiyori, but Hiyori was someone you had to warm to slowly. It took time for their friends, it took time for Asahi and now it was taking time for Hayato. They’d all taken the time, and Hayato would take the time too. Everything would be fine, wouldn’t it?

But Hayato wouldn’t even look at Hiyori throughout the races. Not even when Hiyori tried to interject with a comment about swimming to try and appeal to Hayato’s interests. When the races were done, Hayato wouldn’t even talk to Kisumi. He simply raced back through to the changing rooms, eager to see Makoto again. Kisumi sighed, feeling defeated.

“I’ve never seen him like this before.”

Hiyori grimaced. “Apparently I have that effect on people.”

“Don’t be silly! You really tried with him… I appreciate that.”

Kisumi brushed his fingers over Hiyori’s own, and they smiled at each other. The moment felt tender, and Kisumi felt warm. He had no idea that Hayato had looked back and seen the whole thing.

***

Hayato didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all. Kisumi was supposed to marry Coach Tachibana, not this imposter. Hayato hated him already. He was tall and broad and he smiled like Coach Tachibana, but he was all wrong. Like an evil clone. Coach Tachibana made Kisumi happy and he made Hayato happy too. He had the future all planned out. Kisumi would marry Coach Tachibana, and then Hayato would come and live with them and they’d all be a happy family, but now this Tono person had come along and ruined it all. Kisumi had his flings (as their parents called them) but they never lasted long and they never seemed to mean much. But Coach Tachibana was different, Hayato knew that he’d be more than a fling to Kisumi. Only now, it looked like this Tono guy might be more than a fling too.

Hayato wandered into the changing rooms, deciding to take charge. This would be for Kisumi’s own good. He strode up to Makoto and tugged on the back of his shirt.

“Oh, Hayato! Is it okay if I meet you out there in a few moments? I just have to finish up something.”

“No, Coach Tachibana. This is important.”

The other swimmers were staring at them, chuckling with amusement, but Hayato didn’t let that deter him. He had to say this now.

“Coach Tachibana, Kisumi is madly in love with you. He told me himself.”

There. Hayato’s problem was solved. He knew Kisumi would thank him later.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Hayato telling Makoto about Kisumi's feelings threatens to create an embarrassing situation for Kisumi, the one who steps in to save the day is... Hiyori?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by SamCyberCat. Also, you might notice that there's now a chapter count listed instead of 10/?. We've decided we're going to wrap this fic up at 12 chapters, so please enjoy these final three chapters.

Makoto had never thought for a moment that coaching would be easy, but today's tournament certainly had put him through his paces. It was all worth it though. When he got to see Haru and Ikuya performing at their best, Makoto knew that he was glad to be part of what had got them so far. Sure, he'd been focused solely on helping Haru today, but Makoto was sure that he'd help many different swimmers in future.

All the same, once the races were done and everyone was showering off, Makoto was glad that the long day was almost over. Haru had headed off to catch up with Ikuya, so Makoto took this opportunity to clean up. Which was when Hayato had come through to see him. Makoto always liked to make time for Hayato, because it benefited children so much to have attention paid to them, but he'd hoped to have finished up here before seeing the Shigino brothers and Hiyori again.

Yet what Hayato said truly stopped Makoto in his tracks.

“Coach Tachibana, Kisumi is madly in love with you. He told me himself.”

Makoto's mouth felt dry. Some of the others in the changing room started to snigger about that, but Hayato wasn't deterred, still looking up at Makoto and waiting for an answer.

“I'm sorry... what do you mean?”

It wasn't the best response, but Makoto was still trying to process what had been said. Kisumi was madly in love with him? At least according to Hayato. Not that Makoto doubted Hayato's honesty, but it just didn't seem like something Kisumi would say.

“It's true, he talks about you all the time,” Hayato insisted, “You're his most important person in the world. So you've got to tell him how you feel, okay? That'll make him so happy.”

Makoto looked out of the changing rooms, where he could just see Kisumi talking to Hiyori in the other room, both of them seemingly oblivious to what was happening. Kisumi had warmed to Hiyori almost right away when he'd started hanging out with them, so Makoto had quietly assumed there was something going on between the two of them. But apparently not.

It was clear that Makoto wasn't getting out of this one, so his best option was to find out exactly what was going on.

“Why don't we go talk to your brother, Hayato-kun?” said Makoto.

“Yeah, let's go now.”

Hayato took Makoto's hand, cheerfully heading out of the changing rooms with him. Honestly, Makoto was glad to get him away from those people eavesdropping, who should've known better, but he was also nervous about talking to Kisumi. In front of Hiyori, no less. Even if it wasn't true, it was still an embarrassing position to put Kisumi in.

As they approached, Makoto called over; “Hey, you two. I found Hayato-kun in the changing rooms.”

Kisumi turned to face them with a smile. He obviously had no idea what Hayato had just told Makoto.

“Ahh, Makoto! I hope he wasn't disturbing you at work. Hayato's just been so excited to come to Tokyo and catch up with you. He's hardly talked about anything else throughout the tournament,” Kisumi said, “I know you're busy, but maybe later we could all catch up? With Hiyori as well, of course. I'm sure that since both of you are swimmers, you'll be able to talk better with Hayato about today's results than I can.”

There was a slight hint of desperation to Kisumi's tone, although Makoto might've been imagining it. Was Kisumi trying to include Makoto in his plans with Hiyori and Hayato in an effort to get the two of them to bond? That would make sense, especially since Hayato could be so shy, but then what Hayato had just told Makoto threw it all into confusion.

Besides, Makoto had to let Kisumi down either way.

“I'd love to, but I already have plans with Haru tonight,” Makoto said. He paused uncomfortably, trying to find the right question before he carried on; “...Kisumi, you do know about Haru and me, don't you?”

“Of course! Who doesn't know that?” Kisumi asked.

From the way Hayato's head was suddenly whipping between Kisumi and Makoto, it was clear that he didn't know. Time to bite the bullet.

“Well, um... Hayato-kun was talking to me just before and he said that... th-that you told him you're madly in love with me,” Makoto mumbled.

***

It was Hiyori who cracked up laughing.

An unusual sight for someone who was always so composed, but he just couldn't help himself. Makoto had seemed nervous from the moment he'd walked over here and suddenly they knew why. In fact, Hiyori probably understood the situation better than anyone. He wiped a tear from his eye, nodding down to Hayato.

“That was well played, kid. But you can't trick a trickster,” he said, enjoying the look of shock on Hayato's face. After all, Hiyori had to put up with being shunned by this kid all afternoon. Then Hiyori turned to look at Makoto, wanting to smooth this over as best he could; “Kisumi isn't in love with you. Sure, he thinks you're nice, but a lot of people do, for some reason. And yes, the whole world knows what's going on between you and Haru. Except for this kid, apparently.”

Hayato's face turned pink with rage; “Don't say that! I'm not stupid, I just thought that... Kisumi and Coach Tachibana... they could get m-married and... I d-didn't know about Nanase-san...”

As soon as Hayato started sobbing, Kisumi bent down to hug him. Man, if Hiyori had been this good at manipulating people when he was that age, then maybe he wouldn't have been alone all the time. Hiyori had to hand it to Hayato that he'd got an early start on the path to becoming a snake. Enough to impress even Hiyori.

“It's okay, Hayato...” soothed Kisumi, rubbing his brother's back, “You weren't to know. Maybe I should've been more clear, so you wouldn't get the wrong idea. But Coach Tachibana isn't going to marry me, okay? And that's fine! More than fine, in fact. Haru and Makoto are my friends, I want what's best for them.”

“But what about you...? I want you to be happy...” Hayato hiccuped, between his sobs.

“I _am_ happy. Hayato, I don't need to marry Makoto for that,” said Kisumi, “I have a great life in Tokyo and many wonderful friends. My future is ahead of me and there's lots of good guys out there for me. Coach Tachibana isn't the only one in the world.”

“But he's the best...” mumbled Hayato.

“Ah, I wouldn't say I'm the best, but I'm glad you think so highly of me,” Makoto awkwardly injected, “Kisumi's right though, all his friends here are wonderful. I'm sure if you took the chance to get to know Hiyori, that you'd like him a lot as well.”

Hiyori could see what Makoto was doing. It was so obvious that it was almost painful, but Hiyori appreciated that he was trying.

“I guess...” said Hayato, reluctantly giving up.

“Don't be sad, we'll still get to catch up when you visit Tokyo, even if Kisumi isn't with me,” said Makoto, “In fact, you should both come to the Marron tomorrow. Everyone will be there, so you'll get to see just how many people care about Kisumi.”

That seemed to do the trick. A small smile appeared on Hayato's tear-stained face.

“I'd like that...”

“Then it's settled. Kisumi, Hiyori, I'll see you guys tomorrow,” Makoto said.

“Looking forward to it,” replied Kisumi, “And I'm... I'm sorry for all of this, Makoto.”

“Think nothing of it. Well, I'd better get back to cleaning up before they wonder where I've gone.”

With a wave and a smile, Makoto was off. But now that he was gone, the atmosphere grew a little more tense. Hiyori just knew that Kisumi wouldn't pull Hayato up about what had just happened, because he was too worried about upsetting him. But Hiyori had no such reserves. He was sure that Hayato would be glad to see the back of him, but Hiyori wasn't going to let him win that easily. He reached across to put a hand on Kisumi's shoulder.

“I can tell you're both tired after a long day. Why don't I come back to your place with you and make you something to eat?” he asked.

“You're so kind, but I couldn't ask that of you,” said Kisumi, “Besides, don't you want to catch up with Ikuya after his big race.”

...Ikuya. Hiyori had been so distracted by all of this that Ikuya had completely slipped his mind. That was a first. But he shook his head.

“I'll leave Ikuya to the monkey man for now,” Hiyori said, “It's no trouble, I promise.”

“Well, if you insist. I'm hardly going to turn down such a kind offer,” Kisumi said, “You're in luck, Hayato. Hiyori is an excellent cook.”

But Hayato didn't give off the impression that he was in luck. In fact, he hardly said a word the whole way home. Sitting quietly next to Kisumi and refusing to make eye contact with Hiyori. This didn't bother Hiyori though. He knew Hayato's game.

Once they were back at Kisumi's apartment, Hiyori busied himself with making some teriyaki chicken, while Kisumi set the table. He waited until he was preparing the sauce to check the fridge and let out a practised sigh.

“Ahh, do you not have any spring onions? It just isn't the same without them,” he said.

Kisumi looked up; “Oh? I'm sure the store down the road will still be open. I'll just head across and- ...ahh, Hayato.”

This wouldn't be a problem on any usual date night for Hiyori and Kisumi. But naturally Kisumi was reluctant to leave his little brother in the apartment.

“It's fine, I'll keep an eye on him,” said Hiyori.

“I want to go with Kisumi,” Hayato said, almost before Hiyori had even finished talking.

“Don't be silly, I'll only be a few minutes,” said Kisumi, ruffling Hayato's hair, “Can you set the table while I'm gone? That would be a big help.”

“Okay...”

With that, Kisumi grabbed his bag from the side and hurried out to the store. That bought Hiyori at least a bit of time. He waited until a full minute after Kisumi had closed the door behind him, just to make sure he wouldn't come back to grab something he forgot. Then Hiyori took the pan off the stove and turned to face Hayato, his expression deadly serious.

“That was quite a stunt you pulled back there,” he said.

“I don't know what you mean,” Hayato primly replied, continuing to lay the cutlery out like Kisumi had asked him.

“You _do_ know what I mean. I'm not stupid and neither are you. But that _was_ stupid,” said Hiyori.

“I'll tell Kisumi you called me stupid,” Hayato threatened.

“Sure, tell him that, but it'll only make him sad,” said Hiyori. He walked over to the table, arms folded; “Look, I get it. You had this perfect plan for your future and it didn't work out. Sucks when that happens. If blaming me makes you feel better, then I promise you that I don't care, but I do care about you messing things up for Kisumi.”

“I'm not messing things up for him. He'd be better with Coach Tachibana. He's really nice and you're really awful.”

Hayato stopped laying the table and turned to face Hiyori, drawing himself up to his full height. But considering he was just over half Hiyori's size, that wasn't too impressive.

“Yes, but I'm not the thing standing in the way of those two being together. Makoto is with Haru. Do you blame them for that? Do you want to break them up as part of your plan as well?”

Hayato's lip quivered; “I mean... if they did break up...”

“You're relentless,” hummed Hiyori, “I admire that, but you have to step back and realise that you can't force what you want to happen. If Makoto wants to be with someone else and even... well, if Kisumi wants to be with someone else, you have to let them live their own lives.”

That was what Hiyori had to learn with Ikuya and Asahi. It hadn't been easy to be rejected, but Hiyori loved Ikuya enough to support his choice and he... he saw how happy Asahi made him. It had only been a few weeks, but Hiyori was already starting to become at ease about the situation. Just seeing Ikuya's smiling face made him know that he'd done the right thing by standing back.

Perhaps he was projecting and it was too much to push a lesson that Hiyori had only just learned himself on this kid, but something about Hiyori's words must've gotten through. Hayato thought it through for a moment, then he nodded.

“I don't want to mess things up. But... what if Kisumi marries someone awful? What if he marries _you?”_

“If he does, then you'll have to up your game, because those crocodile tears weren't fooling me,” Hiyori said, with a smirk.

...And there it was – a smile from Hayato. It was small and Hayato looked away almost immediately, but Hiyori had done it. He'd gotten through to him.

Just in the nick of time as well, because they both heard the front door open and Kisumi's voice rang through.

“Got the onions. Hope I'm not too late to add them. Mmm... it smells good in here!”

He came into the kitchen and held his shopping bag high. Then he looked between Hiyori and Hayato and seemed almost confused by how different the atmosphere was to when he left. It felt a lot lighter in the kitchen now.

“Are you boys getting along? You've done a great job setting the table, Hayato,” Kisumi said.

Hayato walked over and hugged Kisumi's legs.

“Yeah... Tono-san is okay, I guess,” he said.

Hiyori snorted; “I can live with that.”

For someone who was both bad with kids and didn't have Makoto's apparent magic problem-solving skills, Hiyori felt that he hadn't done half bad.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikuya and Asahi spend a day together on the beach, reflecting on everything that's happened over the last few weeks and how it's helped not only them, but Hiyori and Kisumi, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by AmberGalaxy (and it's the sappiest chapter so far!)

For the first time in what felt like a very long while, Ikuya could confidently say he felt entirely at peace. Everything was coming together, and he couldn’t say that he felt anything other than blissful happiness. The summer evenings where stretching long into the night, and after a day of swimming in the crystal clear waters of Onjuku beach, he felt that he didn’t really need anything more in life. Lying back on the sand while the sun cast deep orange rays across the sky as it set, Ikuya’s eyes fluttered shut, and he faintly smile to himself. After a few minutes, he heard footsteps on the sand, and became faintly aware of a fond gaze boring into him. Ikuya smirked to himself, his eyes remaining shut.

“I know you’re there, Monkey Man.”

There was a small choking sound as Asahi undoubtedly flailed above him, and Ikuya finally sat up and stretched, brushing the soft sand off his muscles. He opened his eyes and looked up at Asahi, grinning at his flushed features.

“I wasn’t sure if you were sleeping.”

Ikuya laughed and shook his head. “So you were watching me sleep? Creepy.”

Asahi looked like he wanted to tear his head out. “Well, you weren’t sleeping, were you!”

“But you thought I was.”

“Gah!!! You’re impossible!”

Asahi suddenly grinned himself, before tackling Ikuya to the ground, playfully wrestling him on the sand. They were going to feel seriously gritty and uncomfortable later, but Ikuya couldn’t bring himself to care. Nothing seemed to bother him at all right now. Well, losing to this small wrestling match might have bothered Ikuya a little, so he fought back determinedly, pushing back until he collapsed on Asahi in a heap. They fell about laughing together, and Ikuya sighed, letting himself fall back into his blissful glow. Asahi propped himself up on his elbow, looking over him, and this time, Ikuya didn’t tease him about it.

“I just thought you looked happy, is all.”

Ikuya smiled to himself. “Mm. I am.”

“Heh. Because of me, right?”

Ikuya rolled his eyes. “Because of varying factors.”

Asahi leaned in, his grin unrelenting.

“But mostly because of me.”

Ikuya let him have it, leaning in to kiss him. “Mostly because of you.”

Asahi laughed breathily, before leaning in to kiss him again. They were in a quiet part of the beach, and since it was late, everyone had gone home anyway. Ikuya felt like they were the only people in the world.

Though of course, that wasn’t the case, and while Ikuya was finding his relationship with Asahi to be the most wonderful thing that had happened to him in a long time, he was happy because of a lot of other things too. He’d gone from being alone to being surrounded by friends, he’d made peace with Natsuya once and for all, and his swimming was improving every day. The future felt so bright, and Ikuya wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so lucky.

And then obviously, there was Hiyori. Who’d been by his side for so long. Things could have so easily gotten so messy with Hiyori and Asahi, but they didn’t, because Hiyori took the higher ground. Ikuya hoped that Hiyori knew just how much he meant to him, because Ikuya wanted them to be close friends until the end of their days. That was probably kind of a weird thing to think while kissing your boyfriend, but Ikuya was finally becoming comfortable with the fact that he was a bit weird. All of his friends were a bit weird, and Asahi was the weirdest of all. Maybe it was time to just embrace it.

They drew back from the kiss, leaving Ikuya flushed with pleasure. He gazed at Asahi from under his thick eyelashes, stroking his fingers over his strong jaw.

“GAH!”

Ikuya’s eye’s widened in alarm as Asahi rolled on to his back and covered his face, kicking his legs a little in the sand.

“O-Oi…! What’s the matter?”

“Nothing…!” Asahi whined. “You just look so good!”

Ikuya sighed, both exasperated and relieved. “Is that really cause for throwing a fit in the middle of the beach? You’re still so childish, Stupid Asahi.”

Asahi pouted, but then he smiled, reaching over to ruffle Ikuya’s hair. “But that’s just part of my charm.”

True. But Ikuya was hardly going to admit that out loud, not that he needed to. He finally pulled himself up, starting to gather their things together. “We should start to head back, before it gets dark. I don’t want to miss the last train.”

Asahi sighed. “Aww… I didn’t want today to end…”

“You know we can come back whenever?”

“Yeah… but… you know…”

Ikuya smiled at Asahi shyly, nodding. “Yeah, I know.”  
Asahi reluctantly started to pack up his own things, checking the time on his phone.

“Uh. Might have to stink up the train with seawater. Unless you want to stay here all night.”

“What do you mean-“ Ikuya cut himself off as he looked at his own phone, realising that they’d stayed out here longer than they thought. “C-crap! Quick! There’s no more trains after the next one!”

“We could get a hotel?” Asahi tried.

“I can’t afford a hotel! Besides, I have class in the morning! C’mon!”

Ikuya tugged Asahi to his feet, and they ran to the station in a mad rush, barely making it on to the train. They sheepishly sat down among the few passengers on a last commute from working late, very aware that their hair and clothes were matted with salty water. Usually, Ikuya would be mortified, but as he caught Asahi’s eye, he found himself surprised laughter instead.

After a slightly uncomfortable ride back to their stop, they got off the train, ambling back to Asahi’s dorm at a slower pace.

“Ugh. We smell so bad, can I use your shower?”

Asahi nodded, checking his phone again. “Uhuh. Usually everyone uses it earlier on, so the place should be clear. Wish we could shower together.”

Ikuya smirked and gave Asahi a little nudge. “It’s a communal shower! Besides, I’m staying over aren’t I?”

Asahi smirked back, and they cheekily jostled each other as they got into the elevator and it rose to Asahi’s floor. As they got out, they caught sight of a tall brunette, standing outside Kisumi’s door. Ikuya blinked and tugged Asahi back, whispering under his breath.

“It’s Hiyori!”

Asahi raised an eyebrow. “So? You wanna say hi?”

Ikuya shook his head. “No, let’s just… let them have their moment.”

“Okay, so we’ll spy on them? That seems reasonable.”

Ikuya hushed Asahi and watched. They couldn’t make out what Kisumi and Hiyori were saying, but when they exchanged a kiss at the door, it was tender enough for it to be clear they’d gone past the realms of casual sex and nothing more. Ikuya saw a brief glimpse of Hiyori’s face as he went into Kisumi’s room, and he looked happy too. Really happy. Ikuya sighed and smiled to himself, finally standing up straight.

“Okay, we can go ahead now.”

“And you think I’m the weird one? Your face looks all goofy.”

Ikuya shook his head and brushed him off. “It’s fine. I’m just… glad to see things working out.”

They took turns to shower, and when Ikuya was finally clean and sand-free, he curled up in bed with Asahi. Asahi of course, wasted no time, kissing Ikuya’s neck hungrily, but Ikuya couldn’t bring himself to respond just yet, staring up thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Asahi got the message pretty quickly and pulled back. “You alright?”

Ikuya smiled up at him, appreciating how careful he was with all this intimacy stuff. It was still quite new to them, but Ikuya didn’t think Asahi could possibly do better than he already was.

“I’m fine. I’m just thinking about Hiyori and Kisumi… Hiyori isolated himself for so long, and Kisumi’s always surrounded himself with as many people as possible. It’s kind of funny that they’ve ended up together.”

Asahi’s eyes widened in surprise. “W-woah…! I never thought of it that way. Have they made it like, official?”

Ikuya shrugged.“I don’t think so. I hope they will though. Kisumi and Hiyori are really different, but… I think they’ll be good for each other.” He smiled as he remembered what Hiyori had recounted to him the other day. “Apparently Kisumi’s little brother tried to hook Kisumi up with Makoto to get rid of him. I felt so bad for him –Hiyori I mean- like, I think he’s been punished enough for what he did.”

“Oh man, I wish I could have seen that. I bet Makoto was seriously embarrassed though, heh.” Asahi lay back, staring at the ceiling along with Ikuya. “But yeah. I think so too. And… Ikuya? I’m really sorry I was so awful about Hiyori. I… really am seriously childish sometimes.”

Ikuya shook his head. “It’s all done with now. I think both of our feelings can get really, um… Intense. But we managed to power through it. I’m not sure things would have turned out as well if it wasn’t for Kisumi trying to help and Hiyori being so good about it.”

“Man… You’re right.” Asahi laughed and shook his head. “We’re both a handful.”

“Mhm.” Ikuya agreed. “We’re lucky to have such good friends.”

“I am lucky.” Asahi suddenly propped himself over Ikuya again, in a mirror of the position they were in on the beach. His expression was so serious and intense that it made Ikuya’s heart beat faster. “I’m the luckiest.”

Ikuya blushed faintly, glad that they were in the dark. “C’mon… you don’t have to get all mushy about it. I-I mean, I’m lucky too. I’m just saying that everyone else has been so mature, maybe we could stand to be a bit more mature in turn, we are becoming adults aftera-“

“I love you.”

Ikuya immediately forgot everything he was going to say. He stared up at Asahi and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Asahi’s expression was still so serious, but then he slipped, blushing so red that he almost glowed in the dark.

“I-I mean… I mean if that’s okay! I-if you’re not ready for that, that’s fine! We can just forget I said anything! I mean… oh crap, don’t cry, Ikuya!”

Was Ikuya crying? Yes, he was. He could feel the wetness running down his cheeks thickly, dropping on to Asahi’s pillow. He buried his face in it to muffle the sobs, shaking his head in a futile attempt to reassure Asahi. Because everything was fine, wasn’t it? Everything was more than fine. Everything was… wonderful.

“Ikuya? Please talk to me, Ikuya?”

Ikuya resurfaced, his face red and stained with tears. He probably didn’t look very attractive, but Asahi was still looking at him with so much concern, like Ikuya was the most precious thing in the world.

“I-I’m sorry, I’ve upset you, haven’t I?”

Ikuya finally found his words, because it would have been cruel to let poor Asahi suffer for much longer. He wiped his eyes and pulled himself up, leaning forward to hug Asahi hard.

“I love you too! I love you so much, Stupid Asahi!”

This time, Asahi was the one that was speechless, until he managed to blurt out his response.

“Oh wow, really?”

Ikuya burst out laughing, a light and sunny sound. “Yes! Of course!”

They were both laughing now, loud and boisterous as always. In fact, Ikuya wouldn’t be surprised if Kisumi and Hiyori could hear them through the wall, but even if they could, he was at peace with it, because he had a feeling that Hiyori didn’t mind any more, he was starting to experience a new happiness that was all his own.

The future felt bright and warm, just like Asahi himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been several months since Asahi and Ikuya got together. Now that life's finally settling into a routine, will Kisumi and Hiyori go public about their own relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter was written by SamCyberCat and brings us to the end of Barrel of Monkeys. 
> 
> It's been a wonderful journey and I'd like to thank everyone who's read it on behalf of both of us. In the beginning, we didn't expect the fic to get much notice, since we were writing about a rarepair. But we're grateful that so many people gave it a chance and we've had such lovely feedback. I personally hope that we sold a few people on the KisuHiyo ship - that one was unplanned, but they definitely stole the show.

He knew he shouldn't, but Asahi blared his car horn for a second time. It wasn't even that he was being impatient, he was just showing off. It had taken months of saving for him to be able to afford this car, but he figured it was a good use of his money. After all, it wasn't fair for him to rely on getting lifts from Kisumi forever.

The door to Ikuya's apartment complex opened and two people hurried out, one considerably happier to see Asahi than the other. Asahi couldn't stop himself from grinning smugly when Ikuya climbed into the front passenger side and leaned over to give him a kiss.

“Hey, 'kuya! You guys ready to go?” he asked.

The car door behind Asahi closed with a resounding slam and he could see Hiyori glaring at him through the rear view mirror.

“We'd have been more ready if you hadn't rushed us,” Hiyori drawled.

“What Hiyori means to say is, we appreciate the lift,” Ikuya corrected, “You've been so good about this ever since you got the car. But don't feel as if you have to do it if you don't want to. We've walked to the Marron plenty of times before.”

“I'm just happy to have the chance to do things for my favourite guy. Oh, and Hiyori as well, I guess,” Asahi teased, before pulling off from the curb.

Now that Asahi didn't feel threatened by Hiyori, the two of them had a much more relaxed relationship that mostly consisted of poking fun at each other. Something told Asahi that Hiyori wasn't too thankful for that. But he tolerated it for Ikuya's sake. And for Kisumi's sake now. It was only a matter of time before those two made it official.

“So is it like a triple date today?” Ikuya asked, “Since Haru and Makoto are going to be there.”

“Almost, but Kisumi's bringing his little brother, so we'd better hold off on the romantic stuff,” said Asahi.

Hiyori looked away from the side window and towards the front; “Hayato's going to be there?”

“Yeah, he's up for another visit. And you must've cast a spell on him last time, because he's not shut up about getting to see you again. Even Makoto hasn't been able to keep him occupied this time,” Asahi said.

Perhaps he imagined it, but Asahi thought he could see a hint of smugness in Hiyori's face upon hearing that. Lately it seemed as if both of the Shigino brothers preferred Hiyori to Makoto and that was a scary thought. Personally, Asahi couldn't see the appeal.

But as he caught sight of Ikuya adjusting his hair in the mirror, Asahi decided that he had the best guy with him right here.

***

Kisumi had been sat chatting to the others, but as soon as Asahi's car pulled up outside, Hayato sprang up from where he'd been sitting looking out the window. Knowing Hayato, he'd been waiting for them this whole time.

“He's here! Hiyori's here!” Hayato cheered.

“Easy, Hayato, give him some space,” Kisumi laughed.

But his words were ignored. As soon as the door to the Marron was opened, Hayato rushed across, pushing past Ikuya and Asahi to get to Hiyori and dragging him inside. Hiyori still didn't know how to deal with children and Kisumi could see in his expression that he felt a bit awkward, but he was good with Hayato all the same.

“Hiyori! I've got so much to tell you about school. My teachers think I'm doing so well that I might be getting moved up a grade soon,” Hayato babbled, “And there's this boy in the class above me, Daichi, who I've managed to talk into carrying my books to school for me everyday-”

“-Hayato, that doesn't sound very nice,” Kisumi gasped, “What happened to the kind young man who was best in his swimming class?”

“I'm still the best in my swimming class,” boasted Hayato, missing the main point of Kisumi's interruption, “Anyway, you can come sit with me, okay, Hiyori? Coach Tachibana, could you move along a bit?”

“Of course I can,” said Makoto, who was taking having been replaced as Hayato's idol very well, “I'll go around to sit with Haru.”

It was an easy sitting arrangement, since Ikuya and Asahi were already sat together. Which meant that Kisumi was left sitting on Hiyori's other side and even now, he still felt flustered about that. The others all knew about them at this point, Kisumi could tell. They were all just waiting for Kisumi and Hiyori to make it official. But... well, they talked about it last night and maybe it was time. Kisumi had completely stopped seeing other guys since him and Hiyori had gotten more serious than their previous fooling on. In fact, Kisumi hadn't even been looking at any other guys lately.

But if they were going to announce something like that to their friends, perhaps it wasn't the best idea to do that while Kisumi's kid brother was there. Besides, it looked as if Kisumi wouldn't be getting a look in any time soon from the way that Hayato was talking a mile a minute to Hiyori.

***

The afternoon went very well. It made Makoto feel glad that after all the drama from a few months ago, everyone seemed to be getting along better now. If he was honest, Makoto still wasn't certain exactly what had happened, since the others kept it away from him, but so long as his friends were happy, that was what mattered to him. The only thing that Makoto knew for certain was that one day Asahi told them that he was with Ikuya now and Hiyori seemed surprisingly okay about that.

In fact, Hiyori's been good about a lot of things today. But by the time it got to 5:00pm, Makoto figured that the poor guy had been through enough of Hayato talking his ear off for one day. Kisumi and Hiyori deserved their time as well. So Makoto got up to his feet.

“Well, Haru and I were going to head off to the evening display at the planetarium,” he said, “Hayato-kun, do you want to come with us?”

Once upon a time, Hayato would've jumped at such an offer. But now he had to think about it.

“I don't know...” said Hayato, “Can Hiyori come as well?”

“I think Hiyori had some stuff to catch up with here. But I'm sure you'll see him again tomorrow,” said Makoto. Then he turned towards Kisumi; “You don't mind us taking him for a couple of hours, do you? We'll bring him back to your apartment once the show's over.”

“Oh, I don't mind at all. I'm grateful that you guys want to help show Hayato all the cool things to do in Tokyo,” Kisumi said. But then he came across weirdly flustered; “Only, there was one thing that I wanted to say to you guys-”

“...We already know,” Haru cut in, with a roll of his eyes, “We've known about it for months. You don't have to tell us.”

Makoto had to bite back a laugh. Usually Kisumi would have the upper hand when him and Haru talked, but sometimes Haru could catch him off-guard and this was clearly one of those times. Makoto put an arm around Haru's shoulder, figuring he should translate the Haru-speak into more polite terms.

“And we're very happy for both of you,” Makoto said, “I think you guys are a good match.”

Now Hayato's curiosity was piqued. He looked between Makoto and Kisumi with confusion in his eyes. Although, like everyone else, it didn't take him long to figure it out.

“Are Kisumi and Hiyori together?” he asked, “Is Hiyori going to marry Kisumi someday?”

Hiyori choked, his face such a picture that even Makoto couldn't help grinning at him. But it was probably best to put a stop to this before it escalated.

“That's not our place to say,” Makoto replied, “But come on, we have to hurry if we want to miss the queue.”

He pointedly led Hayato and Haru out of the Marron, but all the while, Hayato was calling back to Hiyori.

“When you guys get married, I want to come live with you in Tokyo, okay? It's much more fun here than back in boring Iwatobi.”

“Come on, Hayato.”

With that, they left Kisumi and Hiyori to break their news. Not that there was much news to be broken, in this case. It was just good that they were making the step to going public. Makoto was very happy for both of them.

***

The more Hayato talked about him marrying Kisumi, the lowered Hiyori sank into his seat. He was relieved when the door closed behind them and they were gone. Maybe Hiyori couldn't see what the big deal was where Makoto was concerned, but there was no denying that the guy could read a situation and act accordingly. Now Hiyori just had to worry about answering all of Hayato's questions when he got back from the planetarium later.

But there was something else he had to worry about before that. Because as soon as the door was closed, it became apparent that all eyes were on him and Kisumi. He could feel Asahi's smug grin, Ikuya's curious stare and even Akane stopped pretending to wipe the counter as she listened into their conversation. It made Hiyori feel defensive.

“What?” he muttered.

“Come on, Kisumi said you've got news for us,” Asahi prompted.

“Maybe we've changed our minds about wanting to share it,” said Hiyori.

Beneath the table, he felt Kisumi take his hand and squeeze it reassuringly. Kisumi had been so good to him... Sure, it had been messy at the start, but Hiyori couldn't deny that as soon as they ironed out the initial complications, it became blissful. Hiyori would say that he had been in love with Ikuya and perhaps in some ways he still was. But as far as who he wanted to be with, Hiyori knew the answer to that now. And Kisumi definitely wasn't just a rebound choice. He'd taught Hiyori so much about, ah, so many things.

Which was why he deserved Hiyori's commitment. It wasn't as if Hiyori casually hooked up with guys in the same way that Kisumi did. But once it became apparent that Kisumi's eyes had turned to only Hiyori where that was concerned, Hiyori found that he was oddly overwhelmed by that. He was good enough for Kisumi. And Kisumi was more than good enough for him.

They'd talked long into the night last night and decided that it was time.

Hiyori didn't want to be with anyone else except Kisumi Shigino. Time to let the world know that was the case.

...Um, by 'the world', he supposed that he meant everyone in the Marron right now.

He shuffled to sit up straight at the table, still keeping a hold of Kisumi's hand. Not even Asahi's grin was going to stop him from saying this any more. He turned to look at Kisumi and was given a small nod. It was time.

“So you've probably both already figured this out, but Kisumi and I... we've been sort of seeing each other for a while,” he said.

Asahi held a hand up to his cheek, pretending to look shocked; “...Nooo! Really? I never would've guessed!”

“You behave,” Ikuya giggled, reaching across to move Asahi's hand off his cheek, “Don't mind him. Just carry on, you guys.”

“Maybe we have been a bit obvious,” Kisumi said, “You all know what I'm like. But also, I've never felt this way before, not about anyone I've ever been with. So since we both like being with each other, we thought it was time to give it a go. Ah, with so many other couples around, I guess we just got inspired.”

“Speak for yourself,” Hiyori snorted, “I definitely wasn't inspired by Monkey Man displaying his masculinity to my best friend. Or by the attached-at-the-hip childhood friends who've just taken your brother away.”

“What's that supposed to mean? I can't help it if I'm just naturally masculine,” Asahi huffed.

“But we're happy for you both,” Ikuya assured them, “Things were strained before... But after I sorted everything out with Asahi, I'd never felt better. And it's been good to see you two find the same happiness. Hiyori, you've definitely been more cheerful since you started seeing Kisumi.”

“Me, cheerful?”

“Yes, cheerful. Don't think I don't notice these things,” said Ikuya, “And as long as you two will be together, you'll have our support. Even if Idiot Asahi might be difficult about it.”

“I'm never difficult,” said Asahi. He leaned back in his seat, about to put his feet on the table, until he caught Akane's eye and decided against it; “But yeah, I'm happy for you guys. At first I thought Kisumi deserved better, but you try hard for him and you've won Hayato over, too. Maybe you'll be turning up at Shigino family reunions from now on.”

“Please don't joke about that. I don't think my parents would be ready for any boyfriend I might bring home, no matter who he is,” said Kisumi, “But thanks, you guys. I'm glad that you're okay with this.”

Ikuya shrugged; “All the times that the four of us have been hanging out lately I just figured it was double dates.”

“Well, I'm sure we'll be having a lot more of those from now on,” said Kisumi, “What do you think, Hiyori?”

It'd be easy to make a quip at Asahi here, but for once, Hiyori didn't. He let go of Kisumi's hand, instead reaching to put his arm around Kisumi's shoulder in public for the first time. It felt good. Everything about this felt good.

“That sounds like a plan to me,” he purred.

***

Ikuya wasn't sure what time it was, just that it was dark outside when he stepped out of the car. It had been getting there for a while. Which was why he'd been surprised when Hiyori and Kisumi had rejected Asahi's offer to drive them back to Kisumi's apartment. They'd said they'd wanted to walk. Just so long as they got there before Haru and Makoto got back with Hayato, it'd be fine.

Besides, Ikuya could understand them wanting some time together. Meeting up with everyone was always nice, but Ikuya found he got tired after a long day of socialising. He was glad that when Asahi drove him home, it was just the two of them. At this point, they were so comfortable together that Asahi didn't object to Ikuya sitting quietly for a while.

The sky was clear, but he still couldn't see the stars, not in Tokyo. Ikuya looked up at the sky for a moment, before turning to face Asahi, who was watching him from the driver's seat.

“Thanks for the lift back, I appreciate it,” he said.

“Think nothing of it! Any excuse for me to get this baby out on the road,” Asahi said, patting the dashboard, “Besides, I couldn't have you walking out there on your own this late. N-not that you can't handle yourself...! But, uh... you know what I mean.”

“Don't worry, I do,” assured Ikuya, “Hey, so... there's a car park for students around the side there. Satomi-chan is away for the weekend, so her spot is free. If you want to... stay the night.”

Asahi's smile was infectious; “You know that I do. No arguments there!”

“Then hurry up and go park so we can get inside,” said Ikuya, closing the passenger door.

He smiled as Asahi winked at him through the window and then pulled away. After he'd parked up, Asahi would probably call Akane to let her know he was staying the night at Ikuya's place, but Ikuya doubted that she'd be surprised. Asahi and Ikuya had been spending a lot more time together lately.

In fact, Asahi's words had got Ikuya thinking. It was strange looking back now that it had been an argument that had set them off on this track. Well, more than a few arguments, since they'd always been loud and opinionated with each other. But that one argument in particular... The two of them were lucky that they had good friends who'd put up with them and wanted to help. Somehow, though all of this, their friends had found love as well. Funny how things worked out.

Ikuya knew that he'd never take any of that for granted again. They'd all come a long way and they still had a long way to go. But he felt better to know that Asahi and him would travel that path together.

After a few minutes, he heard Asahi's footsteps hurry across the pavement from the car park.

“It's freezing out here, let's get inside before you catch a chill,” Asahi said, joining Ikuya on the porch.

“Always a gentleman,” Ikuya hummed, as the two of them headed into the hallway.

“You know me,” replied Asahi.

...Yes, Ikuya could say that after everything, he did indeed know Asahi very well.

**Author's Note:**

> [AmberGalaxy's Twitter](https://twitter.com/Amberr_Galaxy)
> 
> [SamCyberCat's Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheScruffyCat)


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